Asia/Pacific News
Chinese Shipbuilders "Very Interested" in LNG Fuelled Vessels
Lloyd's Register, who recently joined with Wärtsilä to present information on liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled vessels to the Chinese shipping industry, says shipbuilders in the country are "very interested" in gaining technical expertise in the area.
"Our Chinese clients are very interested in learning more about LNG," said Rafael Riva, Lloyd's Register's business development strategy manager in China.
"What we cannot predict is the commercial view on LNG - whether it makes financial sense.
"Ultimately the availability of LNG bunkers and attractive pricing will drive investment decisions."
Joseph Morelos of Lloyd's Register told the audience that safety is a key factor in LNG bunkering solutions, partly because the gas creates potential dangers in larger areas of a ship when used for fuel than when the vessel is carrying LNG as a cargo.
Barry Yang, segment sales director for Wärtsilä, said different vessels will demand different storage tank locations, and the parties involved in ship construction must work together to find suitable solutions for each ship.
"This was quite an informative session for us and we would be interested in attending future similar seminars," said Nikolaos Stamoudis, who is supervising a newbuilding in China for Minerva Marine.
Lloyd's Register is working with COSCO Shipyard Group in China and Greek shipping firm Golden Union on the construction of an LNG-powered bulk carrier.
