LNG Bunkers "Will Happen"

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday March 31, 2014

The shipping industry could adopt liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkers in a big way if the industry is willing to embrace new technology, address technical and safety challenges, and work with stakeholders, speakers told the Gastech conference held in South Korea this week, according to a statement published by LNG World News.

Mark Bell, general manager of the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) said the marine industry is often slow to adopt new technologies.

"To use that fuel is going to be a totally different scenario," he said.

"The next evolution won't happen overnight, but it will happen."

William Sember, vice president for global marketing at class society ABS, said LNG offers a good way to address new sulfur emission limits in the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA), but ship owners must work with stakeholders and partners to share their plans and address any noncompliance issues.

Sember said some companies take public opinion for granted and don't make enough effort to address it as a consideration in their plans.

"It comes back to making sure the public knows what's being done and is being included as a stakeholder," he said.

Representatives from Qatar Gas Operating Co. Ltd. and KOGAS also discussed efforts to implement LNG technology on a large LNG carrier and at South Korean ports.

ABS released a report providing guidance on LNG bunkering in North America earlier this month.

Ship & Bunker News Team
To contact the editor responsible for this story email us at editor@shipandbunker.com