Liquefied natural gas may beat out nuclear and fuel-cell technology as shipping lines look for cleaner and cheaper alternatives to traditional heavy- fuel oil, said Det Norske Veritas.
“LNG is the best alternative we have from an environmental and financial point of view,” Remi Eriksen, chief operating officer at ship inspector Det Norske Veritas, said yesterday at a conference in Singapore. Nuclear power will remain socially unacceptable, while fuel-cell technology isn’t yet advanced enough, he said.
Shipbuilders have begun developing LNG engines as the International Maritime Organization draws up regulations to lower carbon and sulfur emissions to pare pollution. The shipping industry emits about 3 percent of the world’s carbon each year, equivalent to 1 billion tons, according to Thor Jorgen Guttormsen, president of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association.
LNG vessels would likely cost about 10 percent to 15 percent more to build than traditional ships, said Eriksen. In the long run, there would be cost-savings because LNG is cheaper than heavy fuel, he said. Heavy-fuel oil is the sludge left over after crude oil is refined into more valuable products such as gasoline and jet fuel.
There are now about 23 ferries and offshore support vessels that run on gas engines in Norway, Eriksen said.
Sulfur reduction
Sulfur in fuels must be reduced to 0.5 percent by 2020 from the current 4.5 percent as part of IMO efforts to cut pollution from the shipping industry. Sulfur is a pollutant said to cause acid rain. In more environmentally sensitive areas, the upper limit will drop to 0.1 percent by 2015 from 1 percent.
LNG cuts carbon emissions from shipping by about 25 percent, sulfur oxides by almost 100 percent and nitrogen oxides by 85 percent, according to Det Norske Veritas. Nitrogen oxide pollution is also being curtailed under the regulations.
LNG is natural gas chilled to minus 162 degrees Celsius (minus 260 Fahrenheit), turning it into liquid for shipping by tankers.
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., the world’s second-biggest builder of drill ships, and MAN SE are jointly developing an engine fueled by LNG to be used in vessels to carry as many as 14,000 20-foot containers. The shipyard expects to complete the project early this year.
Samsung Heavy Industries Co., the world’s second-biggest shipbuilder, is working with Waertsilae Oyj to design gas engines.
