Feature 1 | NORWAY


Technical feasibility makes LNG fuel the best solution


Excellent environmental performance and available technical solutions make LNG the most promising fuel of the future for shipping, says Tor Svensen, president of Det Norske Veritas (DNV).


major steps towards a low-carbon energy future. In the maritime sector we face unique challenges, as new technologies aimed at limiting the impact of climate change and air pollution must work safely and effectively on the high seas. Making major changes will indeed be a challenge but I am convinced that LNG will become an important clean fuel for shipping over the next 10 years at least. LNG is presently the only realistic fuel alternative that is technically mature enough to compete with conventional heavy fuel oil (HFO) or distillate fuels on a large scale. When considering air emissions


W


from ships and possible abatement technologies, it is important to clearly distinguish between CO2


which is a


global issue and NOx, SOx and particles which are all related to local pollution and consequential environment and health problems. Turning first to CO2


, it is a fact that


shipping is by far the most efficient way of transporting large amounts of goods around the world. Shipping has probably been one of the most important enablers for global trade and manufacturing. It is also a fact that the world’s fleet is responsible for over 1 billion tonnes of CO2


per year, ranking the industry sixth


on the global list of the largest producers of CO2


views of increased CO2


. Experts may have different concentrations


in the atmosphere, but early action to reduce these concentrations, as already advocated strongly by Sir Nicholas Stern, former World Bank chief economist, in his 2006 report to the UK government, The Economics of Climate Change, will clearly reduce the global costs of abatement.


22


e are undergoing a period of fundamental change as society at large takes its first


Bergensfjord LNG powered ferry operating in Norway since 2007. Even with early action, by 2020, the


extent of summer ice in the Arctic may be less than 10% of that which has been considered normal for thousands of years and climate scientists have concluded that this


and methane levels, sort of climate


change, resulting from increased atmospheric CO2


will bring us significant and disturbing effects within the next 100 years. Added to this is the health problems


already known to be caused by SOx, NOx and particle emissions from ships. These pollutants


could be around 60,000 deaths annually


coastal populations. When the International Maritime


Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environmental Protection Committee met for its 62nd session (MEPC62) in July this year in London, we saw the adoption of a new Chapter 4 to MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships) Annex VI which calls for many new ships of 400 gross tonnes and above to have an International


causing in


Energy Efficiency Certificate and an Energy Efficiency Design Index that does not exceed allowable limits. Improvement in energy efficiency is the single most important factor that can help the shipping industry achieve a real reduction in CO2


emissions. The


shipping industry, particularly IMO, should be proud of the fact that it is the first and only industry that has adopted global technical regulations for the reduction of CO2


emissions. MEPC62 also added to the growing


regulation of air pollutants with the adoption of a new Emission Control Area (ECA) covering parts of the Caribbean. The requirement is for the use of 1.0% sulphur fuel oil from 1 August 2012 and this will reduce to 0.1% on 1 January 2015. Adding to this the existing ECAs of Northern Europe, the Baltic and Northern America, shipping is facing the even more urgent issue of finding practical solutions to achieve compliance in a cost efficient manner. Ship owners and operators have three options to choose from when entering


The Naval Architect January 2012


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