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Wärtsilä, the marine industry’s leading solutions and services provider, and Tidewater, a leading provider of marine support services for the offshore energy industry markets, reached an agreement to exchange and share technical and economic information related to the cost and environmental implications associated with the use of LNG as a marine fuel.

Both firms view gas-fuelled marine engines as a logical means for ship owners and operators to comply with increasingly stringent environmental legislation with the additional potential for lowering fuel-related operating costs.

In particular, the cooperation will cover the possible use of gas engines in a range of vessels used in offshore oil and gas applications, including Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs), Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs), Fast Supply Vessels (FSVs), offshore tugs, terminal escort tugs, and Anchor Handling Towing Supply (AHTS) vessels.

Wärtsilä is a leader in LNG-fuelled ship engine technology, and plays an influential role in the development of gas as a marine fuel. It has also been at the forefront of developing dual-fuel technology, allowing the same engine to be operated on both gas and diesel fuel.

This dual-fuel capability means that when running in gas mode, the environmental impact is minimized since nitrogen oxides (NOx) are reduced by some 85 percent compared to diesel operation, sulphur oxide(SOx) emissions are completely eliminated as LNG contains no sulphur, and emissions of CO2 are also considerably lowered. Natural gas has no residuals, and thus the production of particulates is also practically non-existent.

"In addition to the environmental benefits that LNG fuel offers, the shipping industry is increasingly looking to gas as a means of reducing operating costs. With fossil fuel prices, and especially the cost of low carbon marine fuel, likely to continue to escalate, gas is an obvious economic alternative. In promoting gas propulsion, the two companies aim at exploring all the benefits and challenges associated with LNG fuel, at sharing their findings and thoughts with the market and thereby accelerating its acceptance," Wärtsilä said in a statement.

“Wärtsilä has a strong competitive edge in this field, and we are pleased to share our considerable experience and know-how with progressive fleet operators, such as Tidewater, so that both parties can reap the benefits of using LNG fuelled propulsion machinery,” said Arnauld Filancia, Director, Communications & Branding, Middle East and Asia, Wärtsilä Corporation.

“Being a major operator in the offshore oil and gas sector, we are exploring all possible ways of reducing the environmental impact of this work. At the same time, we see LNG as a means to address rising fuel and maintenance costs and we are, therefore, delighted to team up with Wärtsilä in order to accelerate the acceptance of LNG as a marine fuel,” commented Nelson Greer, Vice President, Tidewater Corporate Services, L.L.C.