DNV GL Launching LNG Bunkering Guide

The number of LNG-fuelled ships is projected to grow dramatically by 2025

DNV GL says it is launching a guide for safe, efficient liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering.

With 83 LNG-fuelled ships in operation or on order and the fleet predicted to hit 3,200 ships by 2015, the classification society said ship operators and bunker suppliers must standardise development processes, designs, and operations.

Lars Petter Blikom, DNV GL's LNG director, said a committee of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) published a draft guideline in June 2013 covering philosophies of LNG bunkering design and operations and listing 24 functional requirements.

"However, it is not intended to be concrete and descriptive about how to achieve the requirements' objectives," he said, a gap that the DNV GL Recommended Practice (RP) aims to fill.

"These documents, both the ISO guideline and DNV GL RP, represent significant steps forward in taking operational and technical risk off the table for operators looking at investing in LNG-fuelled ships or LNG bunkering terminals," Blikom added.

"Our aim is to lead the way in meeting the needs of this new, innovative and growing sector."

The RP document, available for download from DNV GL's website, is now open for comments during a six-week consultation period.

After receiving input from the industry, the firm will finalise and publish the document.

"The development of the RP is based on extensive experience of LNG bunkering-related projects over the past decade, as well as on knowledge that can be drawn from other relevant industries, in particular from the large-scale LNG industry," said Jan Tellkamp, project manager for the RP.

"The RP covers all modes of bunkering a ship with LNG and provides guidance on how to work on the three key topics suggested by the ISO guideline – planning, design and operation; safety management systems; and risk assessment.

"The concept of 'layers of defence' is detailed on both the equipment and procedural levels."

Earlier this year European and U.S. ports formed a working group to develop LNG bunkering guidelines.