A vessel that provides clean and green shipping is not far away according to SeaRoad Australia’s shipping service. SeaRoad shipping’s Searoad Mersey II began sea trials in Europe on Friday. SeaRoad Australia have said the ship is expected for its entry into Devonport-Melbourne service in December this year. A SeaRoad spokesperson said the concept of the Mersey II is to have a ship run solely through its own power, and has been proven to be successful earlier this year when the ship sailed from Flensburg in northern Germany to a drydock at Odense in the neighbouring country, Denmark. “Searoad Mersey II represents an investment of more than $110 million in the future of Tasmania and its connectedness to the mainland and the world,” a spokesperson from SeaRoad said. “It is the first coastal ship in Australia to use clean, green liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel-and-power technology and the first pure dry cargo ship globally to use a roll-on roll-off LNG supply system.”  The vessel is designed to reduce emissions, increase sustainable future environmental benefits as well as increasing exports between Tasmania and the mainland. “It will also be the first new vessel this century specifically designed and commissioned for the Bass Strait trade and will increase SeaRoad shipping’s freight and vehicle capacity by over 50%,” a spokesperson from SeaRoad said. The sea trials will continue to take place in the Baltic Sea off the coasts of Germany and Norway over the coming days to ensure the efficiency of the ship. The Searoad Mersey II will then be handed over to SeaRoad before it sets sail to Australia and is used to transport cargo between Devonport and Melbourne. “Searoad Mersey II brings significantly more space and speed to Bass Strait,” a SeaRoad spokesperson said.  “A larger ship will mean a greater capacity for SeaRoad Shipping all-year-round – especially important at times of export and import peak demand – while the extra speed will offer the potential for later cargo receival and earlier discharge, and recovery of any weather or other delays.”  SeaRoad have said this new shipping service should not increase transport prices. “Bass Strait is a fiercely competitive market, with two other overnight service providers and other weekly and monthly alternatives for shippers. Commercial rivalry ensures stable freight rates.” A spokesperson from SeaRoad has said the Searoad Mersey II will not be able to run on LNG fuel until next year.  Until then, the ship will use marine diesel oil and then convert to using LNG 99% of the time.