Blue Gas Marine, Inc. (BGM) disrupted the marine industry when it was founded in 2012 as a technology company that powers boats with natural gas. BGM creates on-board natural gas systems that can run independently or as a dual fuel mode for existing gasoline and diesel marine engines. The Company has patented technology that allows an engine to switch between the two fuels seamlessly, even while under power at any speed.
The BGM Natural Gas Hybrid Fuel System, the first of its kind, allows boaters to take advantage of the many benefits of running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or Liquefied Natural Gas(LNG). In the US, CNG is 70% cheaper than gasoline or diesel for the same amount of energy. In most countries around the world, Natural Gas is even cheaper relative to traditional marine fuels. “We have a lot of case studies from our customers in other countries where Natural Gas can fuel a diesel ship for only 10% of the price of marine diesel fuel costs. Obviously, this translates into massive savings that pay for the BGM on-board Natural
Gas system in less than 9 months. After that period the profitability of these operators increases by a significant margin,” says Miguel Guerreiro, President and CEO of Blue Gas Marine. The company currently offers its systems for existing boats, as retrofit installations and works with several boat manufacturers and shipyards to provide new vessels already equipped with the technology from factory. See picture 1 below.
Natural Gas fuel extends engine life and reduces pollution by 70% for gasoline engines and 90% for diesel engines. It also reduces the costly economic and environmental impact of traditional fuel spills from normal fueling operations and from accidents. Natural Gas powered ships eliminate all water contamination from spills, since Natural Gas is lighter than air and it does not mix with water. Professional operators know that one of their insurance costs is the Environmental Clean Up of a fuel spill and those can happen from regular operations and sporadic accidents. This cost is normally included in one of the insurance policies that make up a boater’s liability insurance. Running a ship
with Natural Gas can also eliminate this insurance cost.
It becomes obvious that the environmental benefits from air and water pollution reduction are staggering and this plays well with the environmental sustainability efforts that larger operators already strive to achieve. The environment wins, regardless of the reason used for the adoption of the technology: economic savings, or pollution reduction. They both go hand- in-hand and this is great for the marine industry and the natural resources we depend on.
We wanted to show you how the performance and economics of deploying a BGM Hybrid Natural Gas system work, first for a small gasoline boat and then for a larger diesel ship.
It is important to note that the BGM System is not a conversion. It is an add-on system that goes on top of a stock engine and the engine is not modified. This is important because you retain the original performance of the engine. This is also important for warranty matters on new engines, although it also benefits engines out of warranty, since the add-on can be quickly removed and the engine sold for use with just the traditional fuel, thus preserving its resale value.
Picture 1 - Dusky 252 CNG-Hybrid
The Report • June 2017 • Issue 80 | 29
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