Cross-Industry Coalition SEA\LNG Forms Board of Directors

Cross-industry coalition SEA\LNG Thursday announced that it has formed a board of directors.

Cross-industry coalition SEA\LNG Thursday announced that it has formed a board of directors representative of the group's membership, which will be responsible for the strategic development and oversight of the coalition's vision, mission, objectives and activities, directed towards accelerating the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel.

"To fully realise the potential of LNG as a marine fuel, it is vital that we work together, across the LNG value chain," said Peter Keller, chairman of SEA\LNG.

"No one organisation can advance this agenda alone. Our newly constituted board of directors reflects the diversity of our membership and the scale of the opportunity that lies ahead of us."

The board of directors for the 15 member coalition is comprised of representatives from TOTE Inc. (TOTE), Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), DNV GL, Wärtsilä Corporation (Wärtsilä), Mitsubishi Corporation International (Europe) Plc (Mitsubishi), NYK Group Europe (NYK), Carnival Corporation, plc (Carnival), Port of Rotterdam, and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (Shell).

SEA\LNG says the board will represent the coalition's membership in making key decisions and will promote SEA\LNG initiatives.

Earlier this month, in the lead up to the 70th Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70), SEA\LNG issued a statement to confirm the LNG sector's ability to meet the shipping industry's requirements upon the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) implementation of a 0.5 percent global sulfur cap on marine fuels.

Today, Keller added: "independent of the timing of the IMO's implementation of the 0.5 percent global sulphur cap, today LNG is already a clean, safe, practical and economically viable fuel for the shipping industry."

"The industry is making big steps in creating the infrastructure to enable quick, safe and cost effective LNG bunkering in key global ports; diminishing the price premium for LNG-fuelled vessels; as well as working with regulators to establish consistent international and national regulations, which we believe will enhance investment in this sector."