Tag: LNG bunkering

  An agreement to begin scoping requirements for an independent safety report on the new dual fuel power station and LNG storage and bunkering in Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo met on Tuesday 7 July 2015, with Lloyd’s Register Chairman, Thomas Thune Andersen. The meeting was held at the Lloyd’s Register headquarters in London and both Commodore Bob Sanguinetti, Captain of the Port and Manuel Alecio, CEO GibElec were present. This followed a technical meeting, also in London, yesterday between Lloyd’s Register officials and a technical delegation from the Gibraltar authorities. Following the meeting with Mr Andersen and further discussions with Tom Boardley, Lloyd’s Register’s Marine Director and John Wishart, Lloyd’s Register’s Energy Director, an agreement was formalised to start work to immediately scope requirements for an independent safety review on the plans for the power station and any LNG activity associated with it.  Lloyd’s Register will also work with HMGoG to advise on proposals for LNG bunkering which both parties agreed will be an important activity for Gibraltar as an international port over the next decade.  Lloyd’s Register agreed with HMGoG that both health and safety are paramount.  The Chief Minister stated: “I am very happy to start this ...

  A growing number of ships worldwide run on liquefied natural gas, LNG. Now they can bunker this cleaner fuel alternative at the Port of Gothenburg. New regulations for LNG bunkering have been introduced by the Gothenburg Port Authority in collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam. New bunkering regulations for ships operating on LNG have been drafted by the Gothenburg Port Authority and the Port of Rotterdam together with the Swedish Transport Agency. The regulations will allow cargo ships to bunker LNG at a cargo terminal and are the first general regulations to be introduced in Sweden. "We firmly believe that liquefied natural gas is the marine fuel of the future. The new regulations will have a key role to play in bringing added momentum to our region," said Dan-Erik Andersson, Vice President Operations at the Port of Gothenburg Energy Port. Major environmental benefits There are major environmental benefits to be gained from using LNG in shipping. Sulphur and particle emissions are reduced to almost zero, nitrogen emissions are reduced by 85-90 per cent and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent.  The regulations not only cover bunkering from land using a road truck but also from a bunker vessel, ...

  A report recently released by Lloyd’s Register relating to LNG infrastructure in Gibraltar has been cited in the media and in political debate in Gibraltar. The report cited is an evaluation study covering proposals to site LNG offloading and storage, with specific technical specifications for their design, in Gibraltar. The study examined the risks involved with proposals for two potential locations of LNG offloading and storage tanks: the North Mole Western Arm adjacent to the cruise terminal and the Detached Mole, to the South of the North Mole. It did not address LNG bunkering. LR’s report, since being handed to the commissioning client, has appeared in the public domain and been cited in political exchanges in Gibraltar. LR’s conclusions were that both proposals, as defined, presented relatively high risks. With modifications to technical specifications it is likely that such risks could be reduced considerably; whilst there are obvious concerns related to siting gas storage tanks near to cruise ship berths, modifications to the technical requirements and repositioning of the tanks could see major risks entirely reduced. And opportunities exist to assess other options or locations. LR’s findings into a very specific tank siting proposal should in no way be ...

  On June 4, 2015, the US Federal Maritime Commission focused on the topic of liquified natural gas as a marine fuel. The meeting began with a presentation on the natural gas production and supply market. The floor was opened to all attendees to discuss issues regarding the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. The forum highlighted the substantial progress made by U.S.-based marine operators Harvey Gulf Marine, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, and Crowley Maritime who are transitioning to fueling their vessels with LNG. For U.S. operators, these retrofits and new builds take place exclusively in U.S. shipyards. International ocean carriers United Arab Shipping Company and Wallenius Wilhelmsen shared their deep-sea perspective on the choice of fuels. Wallenius Wilhelmsen heads up the Trident Alliance while United Arab Shipping Company has ordered seventeen LNG- ready vessels scheduled to be fully delivered by 2016, including one 14,000 TEU container ship, ten 15,000 TEU container ships and six 18,000+ TEU container vessels. Energy companies Sempra and Shell noted that natural gas will continue to become an important part of the global gas supply and called for continual infrastructure development. LNG America, a future natural gas bunker supplier, and design and service providers ...

  On June 4, 2015, Commissioner William P. Doyle of the Federal Maritime Commission held a roundtable discussion at the suggestion of the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA).  Focusing on the topic of liquified natural gas as a marine fuel, Commissioner Doyle brought together a range of key government officials and industry stakeholders across the maritime, energy, transportation sectors. Commissioner Doyle stated, "LNG bunkering is a potential market for America’s natural gas resources. The Federal Maritime Commission’s mission is to foster a fair, efficient and reliable international ocean transportation system. By bringing elements of the maritime industry together with the energy sector, we are beginning a long-term dialogue that should culminate in greater understanding and use of domestic natural gas that is cost-efficient and with significant environmental compliance benefits." The forum highlighted the substantial progress made by U.S.-based marine operators Harvey Gulf Marine, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, and Crowley Maritime who are transitioning to fueling their vessels with LNG. For U.S. operators, these retrofits and new builds take place exclusively in U.S. shipyards. International ocean carriers United Arab Shipping Company and Wallenius Wilhelmsen shared their deep-sea perspective on the choice of fuels. Wallenius Wilhelmsen heads up the Trident Alliance while ...

  The Government of Gibraltar dismissed a report made by Lloyds Register regarding the use of LNG as a fuel in Gibraltar deeming it irrelevant to their plans.  According to the report, over 7,000 people could be affected by an incident at an LNG powered generating station. Leader of the Opposition, Danny Feetham, further warned that in case of a leak, the country’s firefighting teams are not skilled or adequately equipped to deal with such an incident ''The Government respects Lloyds Register’s expertise and notes that its report explicitly sets out how to mitigate the risks involved in the operation of LNG to tolerable levels. In this respect, the conclusions of Lloyds are in keeping with those of the Government’s own experts, namely that with proper planning and mitigation the use of LNG as a power generation and bunkering fuel in Gibraltar is entirely feasible and acceptable to UK standards of risk: to the level of a one in a million year event. But the information provided to Lloyds appears to be totally different to the plans which are being assessed by the Government. For that reason, the Lloyds report is into a fictional terminal, with assumptions made that are totally different to ...

  Skangas announced that the first ever bunkering station for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Nordics is open and operating successfully.  The new bunkering station fuels Fjord Line’s cruise ferries, which are the first - and largest - in the world to use "single fueled LNG engines," meaning that they are powered exclusively by LNG.  Loading arm is a well-known method of transferring cargo for large oil and LNG terminals. According to Skangas, this is the first loading arm ever developed purely for bunkering. LNG ships have normally been bunkered via hose connections from a truck or a tank. Widely recognized as a safer transfer method, a loading arm can provide a much higher rate of transfer. The coupling and de-coupling procedures are faster and more efficient, and monitoring of the operation is much easier. Overall, it provides a better solution for both the supplier and the off taker of LNG. “There is a world of difference when comparing truck-filling with this new bunkering station”, says Morten Larsen, Technical and Maritime Director of Fjord Line. “The new station greatly reduces the time it takes every week for Fjord Line to refuel. Less time spent refueling provides a quicker turnaround ...

  ABS has published a new Advisory about LNG Bunkering in response to the industry's growing interest in gas propulsion. Owners, operators, designers and shipyards around the world are considering the advantages that operating on natural gas may provide. However, when considering any new or evolving technology, it is important to have a clear understanding of not only the benefi ts, but the challenges that may be involved. This Advisory has been developed in order to respond to the need for better understanding by members of the maritime industry of the issues involved with bunkering vessels with natural gas. It is intended to provide guidance on the technical and operational challenges of LNG bunkering operations both from the bunker vessel’s perspective (or land-side source) and from the receiving vessel’s perspective. Some of the key areas that are addressed in this Advisory are critical design issues, methods of analysis, and current thinking on possible solutions to the requirements of regulations and safe practice, as well as important areas of operational process, training and safeguards.  The LNG Bunkering: Technical and Operational Advisory explores the benefits, challenges, and solutions associated with fuelling vessels equipped with LNG power systems. "Ship owners, operators, designers and ...

  ABS Group recently conducted industry research and analysis that resulted in an update to last year’s landmark study of LNG Bunkering in North America. American Bureau of Shipping, the publisher, released this second edition to meet the growing needs of industry and to provide guidance and clarification on areas of interest based on feedback received on the first edition. Significant enhancements to this update that ABS Group developed include: A section on Lessons Learned from early adopters of LNG-fueled vessels, including the first LNG bunkering and gas-fueled vessel operation in North America. A Project Guide which provides a “road map” of the regulatory, stakeholder, and technical issues associated with developing an LNG bunkering project. This includes a poster size infographic which is a comprehensive guide for working through the various issues for LNG bunkering facilities, gas-fueled vessels, and LNG bunkering vessel projects. An updated Port Directory and Survey for which ABS Group contacted and visited ports in North America to collect details from stakeholders, Port Authorities, Harbor Safety Committees, regulators (including the USCG) and other vested parties interested in LNG and LNG bunkering at their respective port. Questions from these visits and discussions centered on receptivity/plans for LNG development, ...

Image Credit: DNV GL - Maritime Update Issue 01-15, page 53 (Click to enlarge picture)  The challenges for the shipping industry are not getting any easier. New emission limits, while not coming unexpectedly, require substantial investments in technology; and time is running out. A look at the available options The shipping industry has been going through turbulent times. For a sector accustomed to planning decades ahead, the sequence of unexpected major events, from the financial crisis to depressed freight and charter rates, and from dropping fossil fuel prices to new international tensions, has certainly added plenty of headache to investment decisions. Many shipowners delayed investing in new anti-pollution technology hoping for a clearer field of vision, while others took action early to gain competitive advantage. With new sulphur limits now in force for European Emission Control Areas (ECAs), and the North American and US Caribbean Sea ECAs also regulating NOX and PM, those who chose to wait must act now. Further regulations will take effect soon, and additional regional and national regimes are emerging around the globe (refer to info box). Investing now will save shipowners money and protect their reputation. However, the substantial capital requirement, a lack of mature technology and uncertainty regarding compliance documentation add to the complexity of this decision. The IMO’s new ECA regulations, in effect for Northern Europe and ...