EMEA News
Qatar Carrier in LNG Bunker Pilot Project
Qatar-based energy company RasGas Co. Ltd. (RasGas) is considering converting 13 energy carriers from diesel fuel to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in anticipation of new emission rules, Qatari daily newspaper The Peninsula reports.
Of the company's fleet of 27 vessels, 14 conventional carriers are already powered by steam plants, while 12 Q-Flex carriers and one Q-Max vessel use slow-speed diesel engines.
These 13 vessels, which now operate on heavy fuel oil (HFO) or marine gas oil (MGO) may be converted to use gas vaporised from LNG.
"A prototype will be soon be tested and, if the results are positive, RasGas management will decide whether to convert all the Q-Flex and Q-Max vessels," RasGas reported in its in-house journal.
The change is prompted by International Maritime Organisation (IMO) rules on sulfur dioxide (SOX) emissions in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) that take effect in January 2015.
RasGas CEO Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi said in April that the company anticipates strong demand for LNG, driven partly by its use as marine fuel, and that production projects must keep pace.
