SEA-LNG Hits Back at 'Say No to LNG' Campaign

LNG's opponents consider it a wasteful distraction on the road to a shipping industry fuelled by zero-carbon alternatives. File Image / Pixabay

Further blows have been exchanged in the war on words between supporters and opponents of LNG as a bunker fuel, with industry body SEA-LNG criticising the new 'Say No to LNG' campaign.

The campaign, seeking to counter narratives in favour of LNG bunkering, was launched earlier this year, supported by the ClimateWorks Foundation.

LNG advocates SEA-LNG issued a statement on Friday denouncing the campaign.

"A robust NGO sector is key to shaping the energy transition in the maritime sector, bringing in the voices of civil society, academia and other stakeholders outside government and the private sector," the organisation said in the statement.

"There are many good examples of progressive NGOs looking to engage positively with the maritime industry on the basis of sound science.

"Organisations that have as their stated negative goal "to urge policymakers, industry stakeholders, and financial institutions to urgently rule LNG out of any shipping decarbonization scenario", while offering no viable alternatives, have no place in a responsible dialogue."

SEA-LNG also accused the campaign of falsely suggesting that supporters of LNG as a bunker fuel are attempting to hide the issue of methane slip.

The continuing debate over LNG remains repetitive and unilluminating, with new facts rarely emerging.

Opponents of LNG remain convinced that shipowners should skip ordering gas-fuelled tonnage in favour of green methanol and hydrogen, while supporters point out that gas-powered ships ordered today will be able to run on bio- and synthetic LNG when these fuels become available at scale.

Nether side looks likely to budge until these green fuel markets start to become more of a reality.