Americas News
Plans for LNG-Powered Ferry Raise Safety Concerns
The decision by New York City's Department of Transportation (DOT) to convert a Staten Island Ferry vessel to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) has raised questions from some in the area about the fuel's safety.
An editorial by local newspaper the Staten Island Advance notes that 40 workers were killed in a 1973 accident in the Staten Island neighborhood of Bloomfield when an empty LNG tank exploded because of residual fumes in the tank liner.
The DOT announced last month that it will use a $2.34 million federal grant to convert one of the ferry service's smallest vessels to LNG bunkers, saving 50 percent on fuel costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent.
The newspaper editorial supports the idea of using cheaper, cleaner fuel but expresses concerns about the process of liquefying the gas to make it more easily portable.
"All that equipment to transport and store LNG has to work perfectly to keep it at that extremely low temperature," the editorial says.
"And transfers between storage facilities and transporter tanks have to go off without a hitch."
Particularly in densely populated areas likes like New York City, "a leak or a spill of LNG could quickly produce a fiery disaster," the paper says.
The liquefied gas shipping industry formed a new Natural Gas Marine Fuel Safety Advisory Group (NGMFSAG) in July to address the design, operation, and safety issues of LNG bunkering, including storage, vessel design, and transfer arrangements.
A press release by the new group noted the hazards posed by the fuel but said Norway has used LNG vessels for 50 years with only two fires, four spills, and no fatalities.
