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The topic of using gas as a ship fuel attracted a large audience in Hamburg this week, underlining that the maritime industry perceives this technology as one of the most promising to meet future emission and profitability challenges.

In his keynote to the conference participants, Dr Pierre C. Sames, Germanischer Lloyd's (GL) Senior Vice President Strategic Research and Development, outlined that gas as ship fuel offers not only large opportunities but that there are also challenges ahead before this technology becomes widely used.

"The motivation to consider using gas as ship fuel has become stronger and we are now reaching a phase which requires more focus on the gas-as-fuel supply and bunkering as well as selecting the right gas storage tank size and type," said Dr Sames.

The conference addressed a wide number of relevant subjects ranging from the economics of using gas as ship fuel, bunkering and gas supply systems onboard, the availability and expected demand of gas as ship fuel, engines, ship concepts for large merchant gas-fuelled vessels and, last but not least, also safety concepts and the upcoming IMO IGF-code.

GL experts contributed by presenting on safety consideration for the gas bunkering process and talking about the expected demand from gas-fuelled ships in this decade.

GL completed a study on a future gas-fuelled container feeder vessel in 2009. Earlier this year, the company issued guidelines for gas as ship fuel. The first GL-classed vessel will start using gas as fuel in the summer of 2011.

Pictured: FLEX LNG Producer