MAN Energy Solutions reports that the 1,036-TEU container ship, ‘ElbBLUE’ reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 27% by operating on a blend of climate-neutral, synthetic natural gas (SNG) and conventional liquefied natural gas (LNG), compared to LNG alone.
Compared with heavy fuel oil (HFO), GHG emission reduction was even as high as 34%. The data has emerged from measurements initially carried out on board the ship in September 2021 when the ElbBLUE became the first container ship worldwide to replace a portion of its bunkered gas fuel with SNG.
Gas operation also drastically reduces other polluting emissions compared to HFO. In the case of the ElbBLUE, NOx emissions dropped by almost 87%, while SOx emissions and particulates were almost completely eliminated (~99%). These values were achieved in both the exclusive operation on LNG and on a blend of LNG and SNG.
Measurements were carried out on a voyage between Brunsbüttel, Germany and Rotterdam, the Netherlands with SNG comprising approximately 50% of the bunkered gas at 85% engine load.
The ElbBLUE is powered by an MAN 51/60DF four-stroke engine. As a multi-fuel engine, the unit allows operation with either HFO or LNG as fuel. The ship’s test-run proved that the latter can be replaced by SNG without engine modification.
With this project, we have proven the technical viability of our concept of the maritime energy transition. Today, more than ever, we are convinced that climate-neutral, synthetic fuels point the way to green shipping – and even further beyond
Dr Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, said.
Furthermore, Stefan Eefting, Senior Vice President and Head of MAN PrimeServ Augsburg, added that this pilot project proved that any LNG-powered ship can also operate with green SNG from power-to-X.
Even with a blend of just 50% SNG, GHG and pollutant emissions are significantly reduced. When operated exclusively on SNG, we would expect a reduction of at least 80% in GHG emissions for modern ships
Pioneer
Owned by German shipping company, Elbdeich, and operated by charterer, Unifeeder, the 1,036-TEU container ship, ElbBLUE, sails the North and Baltic Seas. It made headlines back in 2017 under its former name, Wes Amelie, when its MAN 8L48/60B main engine was converted to the current MAN 8L51/60DF four-stroke unit, which enables dual-fuel operation with gas. This was the world’s first conversion of a container ship to multi-fuel operation with climate-friendly LNG.
In September 2021, the “ElbBLUE” reached another milestone on the road to climate-neutral shipping when, in the Elbe port of Brunsbüttel, it became the world’s first container ship to bunker climate-neutral synthetic marine fuel – some 20 tons.
