Larger LNG-powered box-ships underway, says expert

Cutting emissions in a world already experiencing climate change has been one of the key topics last year as world powers met in Paris to talk measures aimed at curbing global warming of more than 2°C. Even though shipping has been left out of the Paris Agreement, there is a mounting pressure on the industry players to shift to more environment-friendly solutions.

Adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as marine fuel has been one of the most common solutions for ship owners, and 2015 has seen numerous industry- firsts and industry records, such as the largest LNG-powered containership. Vice President of Global Gas Solutions, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Mr. Patrick Janssens , says that LNG as a marine fuel has a central role in reducing the overall CO2 emissions inventory from shipping, and it will become increasingly attractive as shipping and its regulators work to further reduce the industry’s contribution to climate change.

According to him, the area that, if not unexplored, certainly is not fully exploited, is the main fleet of bulk carriers and tankers. “ABS has classed LNG Ready product tankers and is collaborating on an LNG Ready bulk carrier design, but these are the sectors that have yet to fully embrace the concept. The reasons are numerous: the low bunker price, the number of sailing days spent within an Emission Control Area (ECA), the availability of low sulphur fuel and alternative compliance options”, he said.

Janssens also says that in addition, the tramp trading patterns of many bulk carriers and tankers increase the challenge of sourcing LNG fuel in multiple locations. But just as with containerships, it seems likely that more and more owners will consider this option in the future. He says that using LNG as fuel is not new – LNG carriers have used boil-off gas from cargo as fuel since the launch of the first LNG carrier entered service in 1964; so the technical challenges are generally well known and understood.

“What is new in applying LNG as fuel to cargo ships is to understand how the arrangement of the cargo tanks, fueling system and main engine impact cargo capacity and ship operations. For LNG bunkering vessels, the process is closer to existing principles, but in both cases, a critical challenge is ensuring crew training and competence that reflect the differences between conventional fuel and LNG as fuel”, he also said.

https://nationalmirroronline.net/new/larger-lng-powered-boxships-underway-says-expert/