‘Shipping Firms May Adopt LNG As Fuel’

Shipping industry may adopt Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel faster than expected because of stricter environmental regulations targeting carbon dioxide emission, said maritime agency, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) executive.
The Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) regulation enacted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2013 will require newly built ships to emit less carbon dioxide (Co2)
Such move will drive shippers to move toward LNG as a fuel when placing orders for new vessels, said corporate director energy projects at BSM, Angus Campbell.
“Co2 is the new reality for shipping,” Campbell told Media in an interview.
The EEDI directs that from 2013 newly built ships will have to become more progressively more fuel efficient.
This is required so that they release 30 per cent less Co2 on a tonne-mile basis by 2025 than at the beginning of the period covered by the regulations.
“We’re going to see over time shipyards will have to become proponents of cleaner fuels.
“ This is vital because there are only so much efficiency gains you can get by making the ship more hydrodynamic and engines more efficient,” said Campbell.
The EEDI regulations are in addition to the IMO’s global sulphur cap which takes effect at the start of 2020.
In addition to the IMO carbon regulations, the European Union (EU) Monitoring, Reporting, Verification (MRV) regulations began in 2015 to reduce Co2 emissions starting in 2019.
These groups will also push the marine industry to adopt cleaner burning LNG