EMEA News
LNG Bunker Fuel to Get Boost from CMA CGM Move
The French boxship operator's decision to make liquefied natural gas (LNG) the fuel for its nine deepsea newbuildings represents a boost to the emerging LNG bunker fuel market, an energy executive has said.
Finnish marine engineering company Wartsila's head of gas solutions believes the move could lead to a surge in demand for the alternative bunker fuel.
"Deepsea shipping has been kind of waiting for the first mover," Timo Koponen was quoted as saying by maritime news provider Lloyd's List.
"And the first mover is now there and I am definitely convinced this will result in more orders by the other players in the future."
Koponen pointed out that the CMA CGM move comes in spite of a higher price tag for each ship which he put at $17 million per ship.
Koponen is also optimistic on LNG bunkering infrastructure the lack of which is widely seen as a constraint on the fuel's development. The executive told Lloyd's List that in his view, infrastructure projects will grow in number as equipment manufacturers and shipbuilders become more familiar with gas technologies.
