Wed 23 May 2012, 14:51 GMT

Study examines LNG as fuel for container ships


Joint study looks at the costs and benefits of using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel for container vessels.



Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and MAN SE have launched a joint advisory study that examines the costs and benefits of using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel for container vessels.

Using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as ship fuel has recently gained more attention not only in Europe, but also in Asia and the USA.

New, stringent regulations are forcing the shipping industry to rethink its fuelling options. Emissions controls, introduced by the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, combined with the introduction of emission control areas in European, U.S. and Canadian territorial waters, will have a profound impact on international shipping over the next ten years. LNG is an attractive alternative to conventional marine fuels.

Can the use of LNG as marine fuel help the industry to meet these challenges? In this web-special GL looks at this potentially game changing technology, informs about GL's own guidelines for gas as ship fuel and the development of rules and design concepts for LNG-fuelled vessels.

Ship owners interested in LNG as ship fuel are currently facing a number of questions regarding the costs and the possible benefits of using such technology.

They wish to learn whether exhaust gas treatment systems could be the preferred technical solution. At the same time, increasing ship efficiency with advanced waste heat recovery systems becomes feasible.

This suite of technologies is the focus of the GL and MAN joint study on container vessel power generation systems.


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