LNG ship fueling

The shipping industry needs to reduce emissions from its use of fuels, which is a significant burden on air quality in coastal regions. A recent revision to the MARPOL Convention sets more stringently new limitations for ships’ engine emissions and fuel quality globally. Much cleaner fuels than the conventional heavy bunker oils will be required. While a conversion to distillate fuels (gasoil) in regional shipping is widely anticipated, natural gas has environmental properties which are superior to any liquid petroleum fuel. This report introduces LNG (liquefied natural gas) as a solution to the environmental challenge. It builds on experience gained from using LNG for coastal shipping in Norway, where this concept has been pioneered. The required supply arrangements for making LNG available for ships are described. After an introductory phase of study of the Magalog project (Maritime Gas Fuel Logistics) , LNG is expected to become more cost effective than distillate fuels for ships, particularly in a high oil price scenario.

Natural gas as a fuel for ships is more efficient, cleaner, less noisy and less corrosive combustion than “traditional” marine fuels. Using of LNG as fuel gives us large environmental improvement and can be expected that LNG become more cost effective. The biggest advantage is lower emissions and cleaner air in harbors and cities along the seas. We believe that in horizon of 5 or 10 years the majority of ships contracted for short sea trades will use LNG as a fuel.

Maritime traffic is a major contributor to air pollution. For example five LNG fueled ferries like Norwegian Glutra has impact on the NOx reduction – compared to diesel is similar to taking out of traffic 160.000 cars.

This fact was reason for International Marine Organization (IMO) for setting of the sulphur content in the fuel in accordance with following graph:

The graph bellow shows the restriction of NOx emission limits as a function of the engine speed:

Emission Control Areas (ECA)

Natural gas is an excellent fuel for internal combustion engines, due to several fuel properties which make it possible to design gas fuelled engines with high efficiency and low exhaust emissions. Following are technical features of natural gas used as a ship fuel:

• High methane number, allowing a high power ratio within the knocking margin;
• Easily mixed with air to obtain a homogenous charge, which burns with high flame velocity even at high air access. This avoids high peak temperatures and pressures during combustion, resulting in reduced emissions of NOx of as much as 90% in comparison with residual oil or marine diesel oil. It also allows for high efficiency.
• Contains no Sulfur, therefore no SOx emissions, and no particulate matter.

LNG with the main component methane (CH4) is a molecule of simple structure that burns with less CO2 emissions compared to the more complex molecules of liquid fuels such as diesel. Stoichiometric combustion of natural gas yields 9.5% CO2, whereas diesel yields 13.4% CO2. The simplicity of the constituent molecules and absence of sulfur in natural gas also result in the avoidance of particle emissions.

Indicated emissions to air from LNG and liquid petroleum fuels for ships - emissions related to engine output in kWh. (Typical medium speed engines built after year 2000 without exhaust cleaning.)

The legislation and environmental factors are very strong inputs for the future continuation in development of LNG as a marine fuel. The technology is readily available and well proven but will need further adaption. The LNG as a fuel is suitable for a wide range of ship types. Because of all these facts and the fact that Chart Ferox is a world leader in the cryogenic technology we are also producing the LNG fuel tanks for ships.

LNG fuel tank for ship built by Chart Ferox, a.s.– capacity 125 m3 (including box for all valves and product vaporizers)

What can Chart Ferox propose?

Possible variants of the LNG ship fuel tanks:
We are able to propose you LNG fuel tank with volume from tens up to 700 m3. The position of the fuel tank can be vertical or horizontal – it depends on the customer requests and possible place on the ships. Chart is able to fulfill all marine classification - DNV, GL, IGC, etc.

Please, see below the questionnaire where you can ask us for a quotation.

Chart supply the on-shore fueling terminal for ships.

Chart Ferox, a.s. is also supplier of the refueling terminal for the ships. We delivered the receiving terminal to Norway in Halhjem. There are two storage tanks with total storage capacity 1000 m3 of liquid (each 500 m3). The filing capacity is 1700 liters of LNG per minute. This terminal refuels LNG powered ship BergensFjord 1.

LNG refuelling terminal in Halhjem (Norway) built by Chart Ferox, a.s.