LNG Bunkering: The Rise of LNG as a Marine Fuel
State of Global Shipping Industry and Environmental Regulations The global shipping industry plays a vital role in transporting over 80% of world trade. However, it also has significant environmental impacts as ships predominantly use heavy fuel oil (HFO) which emits large amounts of sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) gases that are harmful to human health and contribute to climate change problems. In order to reduce these emissions, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has introduced increasingly stringent regulations on the sulfur content of marine fuels. TheIMO's flagship maritime emission control area called IMO 2020 requires ships to use marine fuels containing maximum 0.5% sulfur content compared to 3.5% sulfur content cap earlier. This has proven to be a challenge for the shipping sector to meet the new norms and find alternatives to compliant low sulfur fuels in a cost effective way. Rise of LNG as an Alternative Marine Fuel Liquefied natural LNG Bunkering has emerged as one of the most viable alternative marine fuels to comply with IMO sulfur emission regulations. LNG burns cleaner with negligible sulfur and particulate emissions making it a compliant marine fuel under the new IMO rules. It also results in 20% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to heavy fuel oil. Additionally, LNG is currently the most cost competitive and abundantly available alternative fuel compared to other options such as biofuels and hydrogen. Major advantages of LNG include reduced engine maintenance, longer service life and improved fuel efficiency of vessels. Global LNG trade has increased manifold in the last decade making LNG readily available for bunkering in main ports and shipping lanes worldwide. Growth of Global LNG Bunkering Infrastructure In order to facilitate the use of LNG as a marine fuel, LNG bunkering infrastructure needs to grow significantly from the current low levels. Major LNG Bunkering projects are currently underway in key bunkering hubs of North West Europe, USA, Australia and Asia Pacific. However, challenges remain with coordinating bunkering operations, developing standards for cargo handling, ensuring safety protocols and supplying LNG to smaller ports outside major trade lanes. Pioneering work is being done with mobile LNG bunker vessels and tank trucks that can offer bunkering services in ports that lack permanent infrastructure. International collaboration between governments, ports, shipping companies and energy majors will be crucial to scale up global bunkering and supply chains sustainably in this decade. Standardization bodies like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are working on comprehensive bunkering standards and guidelines. Initiatives like the GTOG Alliance aim to accelerate the take up of LNG and establish a global bunkering network by 2025. Economics of LNG Use in Shipping The viability and adoption of LNG as a marine fuel also depends significantly on the price competitiveness relative to conventional bunker fuels over the long run. Currently, LNG for shipping has some premium over high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) prices, though it is cheaper compared to the new compliant low sulfur alternatives. Ship owners also require to invest in expensive retrofitting and storage tanks for running ships on LNG. However, LNG prices have stayed stable and even corrected in recent times while HSFO and compliant fuel prices continue fluctuating sharply. As global LNG trade increases in volume and bunkering infrastructure expands, prices are expected to normalize further. Existing ships that get retrofitted for dual fuel engine capability can achieve payback on investment in 5-7 years and offer 20 more years of price stable operations. Newbuildings fitted with LNG propulsion enjoy faster payback and consistent long term savings. Overall, with stricter emission regulations, LNG is set to become increasingly competitive on commercial terms as well over the next decade for the global shipping sector transitioning to cleaner alternatives.
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