Image: Nauticor

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SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of LNG as a marine fuel, says it believes LNG can play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the shipping sector while enabling it to comply with regulatory demands of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 0.5% global cap on the sulphur content of marine fuel in 2020.

SEA\LNG's announcement follows last week's agreement at the IMO's 72nd Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting, which agreed to reduce shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 50% on 2008 levels by 2050, with an emphasis on also scaling up action to 100%.

In its statement, SEA\LNG said: "[LNG] outperforms conventional marine fuels in terms of minimising local emissions to improve air quality and can significantly reduce GHG emissions.

"LNG emits zero sulphur oxides (SOx) and virtually zero particulate matter (PM). Compared to existing heavy marine fuel oils, LNG emits 90% less nitrogen oxides (NOx), and through the use of best practices and appropriate technologies to minimise methane leakage, realistic reductions of GHG by 10-20% with a potential for up to 25% compared with conventional oil-based fuels can be expected."

SEA\LNG posited that advancements in dual-fuel technology and propulsion, enhanced control systems, and future use of gas turbine technologies present further opportunities for increased GHG reductions.

The industry coalition also argued that LNG is "available now" with the capacity to scale quickly to meet the needs of the marine industry, whilst alternatives such as hydrogen and ammonia "are not economic, not available at scale, and unproven for shipping operations", and "will require huge investments by industry and governments over decades to realise their potential".

Bridging solution

According to SEA\LNG, LNG is a commercially viable bridging solution for the transition to zero-emissions shipping, offering "immediate local and GHG emissions benefits".

The coalition noted that LNG-fuelled vessels and bunkering infrastructure could "easily" switch from fossil-fuel LNG to renewable, or zero-emissions - meaning investments would not be locked into a high GHG emissions trajectory.

SEA\LNG also explained that bioLNG (from biogas) can be used as a 'drop-in' fuel, significantly reducing GHG emissions, whilst in the long term, 'power-to-gas' (P2G) has the potential to produce large volumes of renewable LNG.

Arguments against

A key argument against the adoption of LNG is that, while CO2 emissions during LNG combustion are lower than those of other fossil fuels, combustion of LNG - a carbon-based fuel of fossil origin that consists mostly of methane - still results in CO2 emissions. It is said to produce around three tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of fuel consumed.

Another well-documented issue with LNG is the leakage of methane - also known as 'methane slip' - from the engine, which is a potent GHG.

Back in 2016, the former CEO of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), Ian Adams, argued that, whilst the chemical makeup of LNG would result in a lower emission of CO2, switching to LNG would only require a 4% slip through the supply chain to equal the CO2 emissions from the industry's current consumption of heavy fuel oil, and less than a 1% slip for there to be no gain from a GHG perspective.

A recent study by the Industrial Ecology Programme and Department of Energy and Process Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF Ocean - in which biofuel topped the CO2 reduction chart - also warned that a "one-sided focus on LNG" could result in the sector ending up with a high-carbon infrastructure.