Page 7 - European Energy Innovation - Autumn 2015 publication

Autumn 2015 European Energy Innovation 7
results from the incomplete
gas combustion leading to the
emission of small amounts of
methane to the atmosphere.
Engine technology is the way to
address this problem. Different
engine concepts are available
today for using LNG as a shipping
fuel. Working on gas only or in
dual fuel arrangements, four-
stroke engines have gone through
serious design improvements
to minimize methane-slip, whilst
in modern two-stroke engines
this has already been practically
eliminated during combustion.
To minimize methane slip,
additional specific measures
could be developed, like:
methane emissions mitigation
plans, optimisation of transport
efficiency of LNG-fuelled ships
and adequate design of the LNG
supply chain.
LNG is also expected to be less
costly than marine gas oil (MGO).
Current low LNG prices in Europe
and the USA suggest that a price
– based on energy content –
below that of heavy fuel oil (HFO)
is possible, even when taking
into account the small-scale
distribution of LNG.
With the exception of Norway,
the take-up of LNG as ship fuel
in Europe is still at an early stage, enriched with new inputs.
and key stakeholders typically
identify three main barriers: the
lack of adequate bunker facilities
for LNG, the gaps in the legislative
1 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, Annex VI Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships
2 The EU White Paper - Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system /COM/2011/0144 final
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
or regulatory framework, and the
lack of harmonized standards.
The recently adopted Directive
2014/94/EU on the deployment
of alternative fuels infrastructure has been allocated to projects
aims to solve the first problem
by requiring Member States to
provide an appropriate number
of LNG refuelling points for
maritime and inland waterway
transport in the maritime ports
of the TEN-T Core Network by 31
December 2025 and in the inland
ports by 31 December 2030.
To address the next two barriers,
the Commission launched
at the end of 2014 the Study
on the completion of an EU
framework on LNG-fuelled ships
and its relevant fuel provision
infrastructure. The results should
be available in the second half of
2015.
The overall aim of the study is
to analyse the current legal and
procedural situation, as well as
trends and obstacles for the use
of LNG as a fuel for ships in the
EU. As a part of this study, an
awareness campaign has been
carried out, providing balanced
information about LNG as an
alternative fuel for shipping (cf.
www.lngforshipping.eu). The
website will be kept updated and
At the same time, by means of its
Connecting Europe Facility (CEF),
the EU is providing financial
LNG FOR SHIPPING
support for the development
and deployment of LNG-related
technologies and facilities.
Following the 2014 CEF call for
proposals, about EUR 43.5 million
promoting LNG deployment in
the maritime sector. Additional
funding will be made available in
the CEF call to be launched in the
fall 2015.
Various international
organizations and relevant expert
fora support the harmonization
of standards and the overall
promotion of LNG as a maritime
fuel: IMO, EMSA, IACS, SIGGTO
and SMGF just to name a few.
Also the European Commission
has established the European
Sustainable Shipping Forum
as a cooperation platform for
Member States and maritime
industry stakeholders, to enable a
structural dialogue, exchange of
best practices and coordination,
thus providing the opportunity
to discuss practical issues related
to sustainability of maritime
transport. LNG is one of the main
topics. It is extremely important
to develop clear directives,
while leaving some margin for
adaptation to local circumstances.
Summing-up, the main obstacles
to the use of LNG in maritime
transport are being removed and
LNG is on its way to become a
feasible and greener alternative
to the use of fuel oils and
distillates for ships. l