LNG - Bunkers Growth in LNG-fuelled projects The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) has published two new guidelines to improve the safety of LNG-fuelled ships. The documents are intended to assist greater standardisation in crew competency and vessel design. SGMF’s Operation of ships with LNG – competency and assessment guidelines defines the skills required for any party involved in the preparation, storage, handling and use of gas as a marine fuel. The guidance can also be used by organisations developing training in these competencies. A new Technical Guidance Note recommends on the best locations for bunker manifolds or bunker stations on gasfuelled ships. The guidance complements existing SGMF documentation on manifold arrangements and is intended to promote compatible bunkering operations across a widening range of bunkering facilities and installations. Both publications were prepared by working groups comprising SGMF members. They, along with an extensive library of other guidance, are available freely as part of SGMF membership. Non-members can also purchase hard copies. Mark Bell, General Manager, SGMF commented, “The rhetoric around LNG is rising to fever pitch, but SGMF remains a calm voice calling for consistent safety standards to be applied to the most widely available of shipping’s alternative fuels. We are delighted that our working groups have been able to contribute further to the consolidation of safety standards with these two important publications.” Meanwhile, SGMF has set up its first regional committee to facilitate co-operation and information sharing as uptake of LNG-fuelled ships surges in the Asia Pacific. The new body held its first meeting during June and already has an ambitious work agenda. Its first tasks will be to prepare a publication on the pathway to green ammonia and a regional dashboard tracking trade patterns to measure the multifaceted impact of conversion to gas as marine fuel. This dashboard will build on an existing East Coast Australia dashboard developed by DNV, released late 2020. Meanwhile, industry coalition SEA-LNG recognises significant growth in LNG-fuelled vessel orders in 2021. According to the latest
A LNG-fuelled PCTC
report from Clarkson Research Services, LNGfuelled vessel orders are approaching 30% of gross tonnage on order, representing a substantial part of shipping’s overall capacity when these vessels are delivered. This year (2021) has been a banner year for new LNG dual-fuel vessel construction contracts as reported by DNV and others. This trend is expected to continue. Major deep-sea sectors of the maritime industry are embracing LNG in efforts to reduce both local and global emissions, as LNG-fuelled vessels are one of the only options today that meet the reduced emissions required of environmental finance. It is anticipated that over 90% of the new PCTCs that will enter the market in the coming years will be LNG dual fuel. Likewise, containership owners and operators are moving to LNG-fuelled tonnage, with orders for LNGfuelled liners increasing five-fold since January 2020. Tankers and bulkers are also following suit, with increases of seven-fold and two-fold respectively over the 18-month period.
MAN testing SLNG During late September, the 13,000 dwt, 1,036 teu containership ElbBLUE bunkered synthetic LNG (SLNG) at the Port of Brunsbuttel on the Elbe, Germany. This is the first such bunkering operation undertaken using SLNG and is being carried out as a test case for the owners and engine manufacturers (MAN Energy Solutions). MAN engineers will accompany the ship on her voyage from Brunsbuttel to St Petersburg, Russia, and then back to Brunsbuttel. The MAN team will be monitoring all necessary details of the engine’s performance including, pressures, temperatures, revolutions, emissions etc, although, according to Stefan Eefting, Head of MAN PrimeServ Augsburg, “There is no expectation that the results will be any different from the ship’s normal operation – running on LNG.
“This represents another important milestone and will once more demonstrate the feasibility of the Maritime Energy Transition, which a MAN Energy solution has been promoting for several years. We have found the perfect partner in Wessels Reederei. Now it’s the duty of politics. After the conversion of the Wes Amelie, a government support programme has been set up for the conversion of more ships to LNG. To make SNG a viable and available option for shipping, governments and regulators need to work closely together. At present, this fuel is far too expensive and not available in sufficient quantities for long-term use.” To demonstrate that SLNG can successfully be used as a marine fuel, 20 of the 120 tons of LNG that the vessel typically uses on such a round trip will be replaced by climate-neutral SLNG. As a result, CO2 emissions are expected to decline by 56 tonnes for this trip. As the Wes Amelie, the ship was converted from HFO-driven diesel engine to LNG during 2017 at Germany’s German Dry Docks in Bremerhaven. At that time she was the first vessel to move to LNG fuel using MAN units. The vessel was built during 2011 as the Wes Amelie by China’s Jiangdong Shipyard, Wuhu and is owned by Germany’s Wessels Reederei, Haren Ems and is part of the Unifeeder pool. She is powered by and MAN 8L51/60 dual fuel diesel engine, which has an output of 9,000 kW. Since 2017, MAN Energy has converted some 10 vessels/year to LNG, however, it will need a massive increase in this figure to attain IMO’s climate target by 2050. Meanwhile, GoodFuels and Unifeeder have together completed their first bunkering of sustainable marine biofuel in the Port of Rotterdam. Under this new partnership, the 14,669 dwt shortsea containership ElbSUMMER was bunkered with a blend of marine biofuel produced from 100% sustainable feedstock and marine gasoil (MGO) before starting its journey towards Helsinki, Finland. This is the first bio-bunkering between GoodFuels and Unifeeder, and aligns with both companies’ ambition to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of European transportation and improve the environmental impact of the shipping industry. GoodFuels supplies sustainable biofuels to the global shipping industry that ‘drop in’ existing engines without requiring any modifications to the engine components or fuel infrastructure, and enable instant decarbonisation impact. GoodFuels’ sustainable marine biofuels reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% well-to-
Volume 19 Issue 4 – Page 19
