China are mainly co-operations between various parties, including local maritime departments, natural gas suppliers and equipment suppliers etc. For example, the conversion of SUSUHUO 1260 was led by Jiansu Province’s Su Qian Maritime Safety Administration and funded by Beijing Oil Land Group. A total of eight parties were involved in that project. The conversion of ChangXun No.3 was driven by China Changjiang National Shipping (Group) Corporation, Everthriving Investment Group and Fortune Oil Plc. The No.302 ferry conversion was a joint project between Xilan Natural Gas Group and Wuhan Ferry Company. Moreover, China National Petroleum Corporation’s Kunlun Energy was also involved in the conversion of a 5000tonne diesel-LNG hybrid ship, while Wuhu Maritime Safety Administration and PetroChina Jiarun Natural Gas Co Ltd have joined hands to take part in the LNG vessel conversion projects of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport. This multi-party cooperation model, especially with the keen participation and investment from LNG suppliers, is a strong driver behind the promotion of the use of LNG in river transport. Te support of a classification society is
crucial to the “boarding” of LNG. CCS has actively participated in the above mentioned conversion projects. Te CCS has initiated an “enhanced safety” tank concept, outlined the relevant technical standards and provided the solutions for the use of LNG on smaller river vessels. Te CCS has issued the Dual-fuel Engine
Design and Installation Safety Guidelines (2007), Guidelines for the survey of Gas Fuelled engine Installations in ships (2008), and Dual-fuel Vessel Surveyor Notice (2011) based on the IMO’s draſt of International Code on Safety for Gas Fuelled Ships (IGF Code), Interim Guidelines on Safety for Natural Gas Fuelled Engine Installations in Ships, Code on Safety for Ships Using Gas or other Low-flashpoint Fuels with Properties Similar to Liquefied Natural Gas, IACS’ UR M59 Control and Safety Systems for Dual Fuel Diesel Engines and the technical requirements on dual-fuel engines of other classification societies etc. In 2011, the CCS issued a new set of
guidelines – Guidelines for the survey of Gas Fuelled engine Installations - which
The Naval Architect March 2012
sets standards for the scope of use, materials, setting, gas pipe design, system installation, gas fuel tank, distribution and refilling of gas, ventilation, fire control, electrical equipment, controlling, monitoring, and safety systems of using natural gas. The issuance of the new guidelines provides a hopeful solution to the standardization issues of hybrid diesel-LNG vessels, setting the foundation of further promotion of using LNG on ships. There is a bright future for LNG in
river transport. Inland water vessels in China are mostly fuelled by diesel which is less efficient, leads to higher emissions and more pollutants while incurring higher costs. As the rich and densely populated coastal regions and areas along the river keep raising their standards for environmental protection, promoting the use of LNG in river transport matches the country’s strategy to speed up the development of a smooth, efficient, safe and green inland transport system. Terefore, LNG has a bright future as a bunker fuel in China’s river transport. Successful diesel-to-LNG conversion
projects have shown that China possesses the basic technical know-how of ship conversion and LNG tank production. Te next question is whether the supply of natural gas – deemed by the international marine industry as a bottleneck issue of LNG application – will affect the promotion of the use of LNG in inland water transport in the country. First of all, the supply of natural gas in
China is relatively stable. Apart from the imports from Australia, Indonesia, Qatar and Iran, China’s own LNG production and storage volumes have increased significantly in recent years. In the coastal regions, the nation has also started to build LNG terminals in Shanghai’s Yangshan, Fujian’s Putian and Shenzhen’s Dapeng. LNG terminals will be set up in Hebei’s Tangshan, Liaoning’s Dalian, Shandong’s Qingdao, Jiangsu’s Rudong and Zhejiang’s Ningbo by 2015; and in Jiangsu’s Lianyungang as well as Shantou and Zhuhai in Guangdong by 2020, according to the official timetable. Other potential LNG terminal locations
include Liaoning’s Jinxi, Tianjin’s Tanggu, Shandong’s Rizhao, Jiangsu’s Nantong, Zhejiang’s Wenzhou, Guangxi’s Fangcheng, Hainan and Macau. It shows that China
is well prepared for using LNG in its river transport system. Moreover, the CCS has kick-started relevant programmes and draſted industry standards to speed up the replacement of low-efficient coastal and river vessels. All these have laid a solid foundation for the promotion of using natural gas in river transport in China. Secondly, gas station and gas supply vessels
are two feasible solutions for LNG refuelling. PetroChina has already started building LNG stations. There are also other companies planning to set up large-scale LNG storage bases at ports and cities along the Yangtze River in order to build a LNG supply network that includes storage and refuelling facilities. Wuhan Jiaofa Ship Design Co Ltd has come up with designs of LNG fuelling barges that suit China’s waterways. Te construction of these barges will commence soon. Te barges are movable small-scale storage ships that can transfer LNG to vessels through pipes directly. Te CCS is studying and developing the
technical requirements for LNG fuelling barges in order to match the needs of hybrid diesel-LNG vessels. Te class society is also working with fuel suppliers and shipping companies to research fuelling solutions for vessels running on the Yangtze River and the technical and safety standards for parties involved in the supply chain. In early 2011, the CCS together with
PetroChina kicked off the “Gasifying Yangtze” programme. Under the programme, the two parties will carry out real ship experiments on LNG technologies based on the experience from No. 302 ferry and ChangXun No.3 and the principles of standardised and sustainable operations. The programme aims to encourage the use of LNG in river transport. According to the “Overal l
implementation plan of lower energy consumption and emissions for water transport” during the 12th
Five-year Plan
period (2011-2015) issued by the Ministry of Transport, application pilots of new technology of lower energy consumption and emissions will increase gradually over 2011-2015, with inland waterway diesel and LNG hybrid ship technology as one of the five pilot technologies. With all these favourable factors, the use of LNG in river transport has promising prospects and will hopefully help China achieve its goal of green water transport. NA
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In-depth
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