Tag: alternative fuels

The Port of Amsterdam constructs a new facility that will convert non-recyclable plastic into fuel for the transport sector, which will reduce CO2 emission by 57,000 tonnes per year. The plant will be built in collaboration with Port of Amsterdam and is expected to running by the end of this year. The first plant will produce more than 30m litres of fuel per year.

The Diesel Technology Forum and the Environmental Defense Fund released a report highlighting the emission reduction benefits that can be offered by the latest clean diesel models. The joint research estimates that replacing older engines in a tug boat with the latest clean diesel model that meets the latest emissions milestones can reduce on average 14.9 tons of NOx emissions per year.

With the IMO regulations coming in 2020 about the sulphur cap, US refiners are preparing for the shift in the ship fuel supply. That change will increase demand for low sulphur fuels, and US refiners are ready to capture about 3m bbl/day global marine fuel market. Namely, across many US refiner’s earnings, distillate yields will be increased.

Scrubbers as a measure to comply with the sulphur cap in 2020 would be a quick fix, according to Wartsila's director of exhaust gas cleaning, Sigurd Jenssen, and more drastic measures are needed. Mr. Jenssen said that equipping 2,000-3,000 ships with scrubbers by 2020 can be done. But with a global fleet of about 60,000 vessels, many of them will have to use cleaner fuels.

DNV GL issued a white paper assessing alternative fuels and technologies, taking a look at the price, availability, regulatory challenges and noting that the majority of ships that use conventional fuels will either switch to low sulphur conventional fuels, or use a scrubber system while continuing to use HFO.

Global marine fuel costs are likely to rise by 25%, or $24 billion, upon the IMO sulphur cap gets in effect in 2020, Wood Mackenzie consultant said. As explained, the cost will rise as the upcoming regulations will a switch to other fuels, which are low-sulphur but cost more, such as MGO and ultra low sulfur fuel oil.

As the shipping industry needs to move to renewable and alternative fuels to reduce environmental footprint, there is no widely available fuel to manage climate change and local pollutants, according to a study by University of Manchester. Some of the alternative fuel options analysed have the potential, but only if key barriers can be overcome.

Faced with a decision with huge cost implications, shipowners are considering all options on how to tackle sulphur emissions. Although any possible delay was ruled out during IMO MEPC 71, industry stakeholders think that a postponement of the 2020 deadline is possible, likewise the time extension of the BWM Convention. 

Total net energy imports to the US fell to 7.3 quadrillion British thermal units in 2017, a 35% decrease from 2016 and the lowest level since 1982, when both gross imports and gross exports were much lower, according to EIA. The larger factor leading to the reduction in the net energy trade balance has been increasing energy exports.

The WLPGA, with its continued commitment to cleaner environment, believes that LPG is an ideal propulsion fuel for the marine industry. This is highlighted in the recent WLPGA report “LPG for Marine Engines – The Marine Alternative Fuel”, Mr. Nikos Xydas, Technical Director at Wolrd LPG Association explains.