In summary, the CNG mode is always much more efficient than the other two at any speed, so the boat consumes the least amount of fuel in this mode. For example, at top speed, under gasoline mode this boat is consuming 17.22 gallons per hour, but only 10 gallons when run on CNG mode.
If we assume that the boat runs on ethanol-free gasoline, which retails for $4 in the largest boating markets in the US and fuels up with CNG for $2 per GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent). This means that at the top speed of 40 miles-per-hour under gasoline-mode the cost to operate this boat is $69 per hour, but only $20 per hour under CNG, a fuel cost savings of 72%.
The diesel version of the BGM system is also an add-on, which has two modes of operation: pure- diesel and Advanced Hybrid. The diesel mode is the traditional mode of operation and uses 100% diesel. The Advanced Hybrid is a dual-fuel mode where Natural Gas replaces 50% to 89% of diesel. The operator can change between modes at any time and at any speed. BGM can also turn a diesel engine into a 100% natural gas engine, with permanent modifications, however that engine becomes a spark-ignited engine and therefore loses its ability to use diesel as a back-up mode, but it provides the maximum savings for an operator since it uses no diesel at all. This is popular with larger
fleets of vessels that serve fixed routes like ferries.
BGM finds that most diesel vessel operators request to install the add-on system that provides the two-mode operation, since it allows them to keep diesel onboard as a back-up, but enjoy the savings of replacing most of it with natural gas. Picture 4 on the following page is an example of a 25-ton harbor tug boat operated in the US to bring larger ships into port and take them out to deeper water, which typically consumes 300,000 gallons of diesel per year with 2,000 combined horse power from two diesel propulsion engines. When the same vessel is operated primarily on the BGM Advanced Hybrid mode, it achieves savings of $250,000 per year, recouping the investment in the BGM system in less than 2 years. The same vessel when operated in Europe can have savings greater than $750,000 per year due to diesel being several times more expensive there than in the US, so the payback period in Europe is usually less than 12 months. Natural Gas is always much cheaper than the traditional fuel it replaces because it is so abundant and that is the case in most nations that do not subsidize marine diesel.
This is forecasted to remain the case as most nations strive to become self-sufficient from their own natural gas domestic production.
The savings get even better when a fleet purchases a CNG station from BGM, which allows for its vessels to run on 50-cents per GGE and take advantage of the green incentives that exist in the US and many other countries. This is possible because unlike traditional fuels (gasoline and diesel) Natural Gas is very abundant around the world, but petroleum is scarce and expensive to produce. BGM designs and sells CNG fixed- stations for marinas, individual fleets and even small personal stations for recreational users to install at home which start at $6,000 and can go to $5 Million for a large station that can fuel dozens of ferries. Each is tailored to the fuelling capacities and frequency of the boats that fill-up there.
In the US and several other countries, BGM has partnered with Natural Gas utilities and Natural Gas distributors to make Natural Gas available for boaters on the water, which means that in some locations BGM is able to provide fleet owners with fuelling contracts for Natural Gas as an additional optional option that eliminates the need for a fleet to operate a natural gas station. Some boating locations currently do not have natural gas pipelines,
The Report • June 2017 • Issue 80 | 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
