Asia/Pacific News
Rolls-Royce Singapore Says Government Should Help Break LNG Bunkering "Chicken and Egg" Conundrum
Rolls-Royce Singapore designer Jan-Paul de Wilde last week told the Asia Pacific Marine and Offshore Conference 2014 that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel remains in a "chicken and egg" situation, and has called on the government to help break the cycle, IHS Maritime reports.
In his speech, de Wilde addressed a key sticking point raised by others in the industry, namely the lack of bunkering infrastructure available to make LNG as a marine fuel more attractive.
"It is the chicken and egg story, no one wants to switch to LNG because there are no (LNG) bunkering facilities available," he said, adding that he thought that the Government should step in to break the cycle by providing incentives for shippers to switch to LNG, as well as for ports to build LNG bunkering facilities.
But, according to the report, de Wilde remained clear that LNG is a viable and desirable long-term solution for reducing pollution from the shipping industry.
"Having a spark-ignited lean burn gas engine in the engine room is the dream of any chief engineers," he said, pointing to nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, and greenhouse gas emission reductions as benefits.
Last month Singapore's Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew told a SIBCON 2014 audience that the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) would commence a LNG bunkering pilot project in 2017.
