Class Societies: Big Change Happening in Marine Fuels

Donche-Gay said larger ship sizes demand new tools for analysis

The shipping industry's current focus on fuel efficiency and emissions reduction is raising many major questions, according to a roundup of class society experts by industry news site MarineLink.

James Watson of ABS said that, while class societies traditionally focused on the structural safety of ships, they must now consider hull forms, fuel choices, and equipment.

"Arriving at the most efficient vessel requires looking at the hull and the associated appendages – propeller, rudder, energy saving devices, bulbous bow (or no bulb) – as a complete and integrated system," he said.

Philippe Donche-Gay of Bureau Veritas (BV) said larger ship sizes demand new tools for analysis, as does the adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkers.

"We see an accelerating move to use LNG as a fuel at sea and we are working hard with shipowners and gas suppliers to facilitate that transition," he said.

"We are deeply involved with new ship projects, such as the gas powered ferry, the largest to use LNG yet, to be built for Brittany Ferries, and with gas suppliers such as Gas de Suez which is developing the small scale LNG vessels which will be needed for the bunker chain."

Several other class society experts also noted the industry's need for support in negotiating challenges around LNG bunkering.

"As we see this trend grow, DNV GL is working to ensure that owners can be confident that the technology is vetted, operational practices such as bunkering and crew training are in place, and the supporting infrastructure is meeting stringent safety standards," said Paal Johansen of DNV GL.

Johansen also said the industry is likely to see other innovations as it works to reduce pollution and improve efficiency.

"The stricter environmental regulations and rising fuel costs lead to technology development in design, size, propulsion and operations," he said.

"This goes well beyond LNG as fuel, and we believe we will see a more diversified mix, with batteries, hybrids, methanol and so on."

DNV GL released a position paper earlier this year on the potential for the adoption of new fuel types.