Page 24 - European Energy Innovation - Spring 2016 publication

24 Spring 2016 European Energy Innovation

LNG IN SHIPPING

Advantages of LNG as a ship fuel is the LNG-powered ships’sector. For bunkering ships, truck and rail-loading)
LNG CASE example, the world first ferry to run offered by the LNG terminal operators.
• Clean on LNG was M/F Glutra in Norway in
• Available 2000. The first large LNG-powered In 2011, GIE prepared the GLE7 Position
• Safe vessel was the Viking Grace which paper: GLE’s views on Small Scale LNG
• Economical started operations in the Baltic Sea in concluding as follows, “GLE is excited
January 2013. about the opportunities offered by
of them. The other main ones are: Small Scale LNG and will play its part
installing scrubbers (SCR) for exhaust On the other hand, the main condition in promoting its further development
gas purification, the use of low-sulphur for the wide use of LNG as a ship fuel in a safe way.” Today we confirm our
content MGO or MDO, or change to is a developed LNG infrastructure statement and support LNG CASE
alternative fuels. and a good distribution system. For (using LNG because it is Clean,
example, in the Baltic Sea (SECA Available, Safe and Economical). l
With a ship’s lifetime at 25 years or Sulphur Emission Control Areas, where
more, ship-owners will have to make from January 1st 2015 ships have had Author:
a careful calculation. However, we to use fuel oil with a sulphur content
assume that in many cases the LNG of no more than 0.10%, as opposed Katarzyna Chrulska
option is economical. to the previous limit of 1.00%) there
are a lot of initiatives aimed at the GIE Member and Manager LNG
NO LONGER THE CHICKEN OR THE establishment of a small to medium l Division of GAZ-SYSTEM in Poland,
EGG PROBLEM scale LNG infrastructure (for details see GLE¹ Gas Advocacy Chairwoman
A few years ago, it was very popular LNG in Baltic Sea Project³). within GIE in the years 2011-2014
to refer to the issue of using LNG as
a fuel in shipping as the chicken or DNV experts believe that we will reach Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) is
the egg problem. Many stakeholders the number of 1,000 non-LNG carrier an association representing the
asked which one should come first; a vessels running on LNG in 2020 or interests of European natural gas
bunkering stations’ system or an LNG- shortly thereafter4. Other experts are infrastructure operators active in
powered ship. not so optimistic. For sure, in the near natural gas transmission, storage
future conventional oil-based fuels and LNG regasification. 16
These days, there is no need to ask this will still be the main fuel option for European LNG terminal operators
question any more. We can observe most existing vessels. However, LNG from 9 countries, operating
both a development of a bunkering is an interesting solution for many around 90% of the existing LNG
infrastructure and a significant increase vessels to be newly-built. So we can regasification capacity in the
in the number of LNG-powered vessels. expect dynamic developments. European Union, are members of
GIE.
On the one hand, there are currently GIE SUPPORTING SMALL SCALE
around 75 LNG-fueled ships DEVELOPMENT Contact details:
(excluding LNG carriers) in operation GIE is active in LNG advocacy and
worldwide, while another 84 new interested in the small scale. GIE
ship-building orders have now been regularly gathers and actualizes
confirmed2. And it means a significant the LNG New Services Inventory5.
growth taking into account how young It provides an overview of the new
services (reloading, trans-shipment,

1. GLE - Gas LNG Europe is one of three subdivisions of GIE, representing the LNG Terminal Operators. Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE)
The other two subdivisions are: GTE - Gas Transmission Europe and GSE - Gas Storage Europe (see Avenue de Cortenbergh, 100
http://www.gie.eu/index.php/about-us/who-we-are). 1000 Brussels
Belgium
2. DNV GL – LNG fuelled vessels. Ship list – Vessels in operation and vessels on order - updated 11 T +32 2 2090500
January 2016 F +32 2 2090501
E gie@gie.eu
3. www.lnginbalticseaports.com W www.gie.eu
4. DNV. LNG as ship fuel.
5. www.gie.eu/index.php/maps-data/gle-lng-services-inventory www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
6. More information in MAPS & Data section at www.gie.eu website.
7. GLE - Gas LNG Europe is one of three subdivisions of GIE, representing the LNG Terminal Operators.

The other two subdivisions are: GTE - Gas Transmission Europe and GSE - Gas Storage Europe (see
http://www.gie.eu/index.php/about-us/who-we-are).