Founding members include Carnival Corp & plc, DNV GL, ENGIE, ENN, GE, GTT, Lloyd’s Register, Mitsubishi Corp, NYK Line, Port of Rotterdam, Qatargas, Shell, TOTE Inc. and Wärtsilä.
“We recognise the need to work closely with key players across the value chain… to ensure an understanding of the environmental and performance benefits of LNG as a marine transport fuel,” explained Peter Keller, chairman of SEA\LNG and executive vice president of TOTE Inc. “SEA\LNG aims to address market barriers and help transform the use of LNG as a marine fuel into a global reality,”
LNG significantly reduces SOx, NOx and particulate emissions, and can also contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, making it a fuel solution that is compliant with both current and anticipated future regulations.
However, various challengers to LNG’s widespread adoption as a marine fuel remain - notably the lack of LNG bunkering infrastructure in ports around the world; the price premium for LNG-fuelled vessels; and the lack of globally consistent regulation, which acts as brake on investment in the sector – and it is these that the new consortium aims to address and help ovrercome.
“By working together, we plan to overcome the challenges and speed the general acceptance of LNG,” said Timo Koponen, vice president, flow & gas solutions, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
“LNG fuelled shipping has mainly been for the visionaries and, until now, concentrated in specialist ship sectors – short sea shipping and ferries, mainly sailing between two fixed ports,” commented Leo Karistios, gas technology lead at Lloyd’s Register. “We want to help drive the expansion of LNG as a marine fuel of choice, with not just more short sea and local ships burning gas, but also the deep sea trades”.
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