Fuels
A storage facility for liquefied natural gas.
and we are happy to share our experiences and learn from others. As an example, we have joined various member work groups and organisations, such as SGMF and SEA-LNG, to do just that,” says Strang
“Collaboration is extremely important, and we are happy to share our experiences and learn from others.”
LNG is not the only game in town when thinking long term though, given the potential benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology, as well as the ongoing debate over marine gasoil (MGO) versus LNG. However, hydrogen fuel cell technology is yet to be economic at scale. Not least because while hydrogen fuel has a clean combustion process, the creation of hydrogen for use in a vessel as large as a cruise ship still requires massive amounts of energy, therefore, the costs are prohibitively high. “We’ve looked at hydrogen as another possible low-carbon fuel solution and while there are certainly advantages to its use, there are significant barriers as well,” says Strang. “Even in its liquid form (at -283°C), it will require at least four to six times as much volume as conventional fuels when filling limits are taken into account,” he adds. Strang also points out the technical challenges to overcome when considering its flammability, such as including codes and standards for fuel storage in marine use, as there is currently no approval in place to store hydrogen below deck for cruise ship types. “Given those barriers, it’s most likely we’ll need to look at alternative hydrogen carriers such as methanol, ammonia or synthetic LNG.”
The strongest substitute
Synthetic LNG is regarded as the most efficient alternative, since the molecule is the same as LNG.
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This being the case, according to Strang, there are no changes needed; however, the production facilities and prices are two aspects that must be taken into consideration as well.
“For ammonia, I am confident our engineers and designers would be able to find appropriate solutions for handling it safely, but I am not convinced the cruise sector will be [the] first to use ammonia. “Methanol – from either sustainable biomass or synthetic sources – is another promising solution and we are investigating its use in a fuel cell on board one of our LNG ships: the AIDAnova. Although small, the project will demonstrate the use of polymer electrolyte membrane technology and reforming methanol into hydrogen,” Strang adds.
Up for debate
In the meantime, debate continues regarding MGO versus LNG; proponents of the former arguing LNG is only a short-term solution. Moreover, it gives off methane, which is a worse greenhouse gas to emit than CO2
. Yet, as Strang argues: “Even when
methane slip is taken into account, LNG has lower greenhouse gas emissions than MGO and solves the issue of local pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter. “At the same time, liquefied natural gas facilitates a very clear pathway for the decarbonisation of the global maritime industry, allowing for the introduction and use of other possible low-carbon fuels through bio to synthetic fuels. Its use also helps us prepare for the application of other potential challenging fuels such as ammonia, methanol or hydrogen,” he adds. Improving efficiency through the use of technology is one thing, yet as history has shown, the best laid plans can quickly unravel due to circumstances beyond one’s control, such as the geopolitical instability currently giving rise to gas prices. It is an issue with no obvious solution, in the short term at least. ●
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
Avigator Fortuner/
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