Jefferson, La., headquartered naval architecture firm MiNO Marine LLC reports that Conrad Amelia Shipyard will soon start production of the second vessel based on its new 6,000 hp inland towboat design. The
MARCH 5, 2018 — Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 has signed contracts with Havyard Group for the design of seven battery-powered ferries, five of which will be built at the company’s own shipyard
DECEMBER 19, 2017 — Q-LNG, LLC, has selected ABS to class its recently ordered LNG bunkering Articulated Tug Barge (ATB). The vessel is scheduled to begin construction at shipbuilder VT Halter Marine
MAY 2, 2017 — Vane Brothers, Baltimore, MD, recently added two newly constructed vessels to its growing fleet: the 4,200-horsepower tugboat Philadelphia and the purpose-‐built asphalt barge Double Skin 510A. Primarily tasked
AUGUST 16, 2016—Baltimore-headquartered Vane Brothers is adding three new classes of tugs that are being built at three different shipyards as part of its extensive ongoing fleet expansion. One of those new
Leading shipowners and operators, gas suppliers, ports, class societies, and technologists gathered last month in London to announce a new cross-industry initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. The initiative hopes to address the issues of LNG bunkering infrastructure, regulatory concerns, and the higher initial capital investment costs in building LNG-fueled vessels.
Called SEA/LNG, the initiative brings together participants from Carnival Corporation & plc, DNV GL, ENGIE, ENN, GE, GTT, Lloyd’s Register, Mitsubishi Corporation, NYK Line, Port of Rotterdam, Qatargas, Shell, TOTE Inc. and Wärtsilä.
The goal of the initiative explains TOTE Inc. Executive Vice President Peter Keller, who is serving as SEA\LNG’s Chairman, is to address “market barriers and help transform the use of LNG as a marine fuel into a global reality.”
When it comes to using LNG as a marine fuel, TOTE is all in. It’s committed about $500 million in capital investments to have its entire fleet to burn LNG. The U.S.-flag operator has built two 3,100 TEU LNG-fuelled containerships now in operation between the Port of Jacksonville, FL, and San Juan, PR, and is converting the two ORCA Class Roll-on/Roll-Off ships in its fleet to burn LNG. The first of those two is being converted at Singapore’s Keppel Shipyard this fall.
TOTE is not alone in adding dual-fuel and LNG-Ready tonnage to its oceangoing fleet in the U.S. Harvey Gulf International Marine, Crowley Maritime Corp., Matson Navigation, Kinder Morgan, and SEA VISTA/SEACOR all have vessels in operation or under construction that burn or could eventually burn LNG as a marine fuel. In all, there are 29 vessels that are designed or could be converted to burn LNG as shown in the accompanying table. This does not include inland and coastal vessels such as towboats or ferries.
The U.S. Maritime Administration, for example, is supporting the conversion of a towboat to burn LNG as fuel.
The use of LNG as a marine fuel has increased with Emission Control Areas (ECAs) coming into force in Northern Europe and North America under MARPOL Annex VI. LNG is relatively clean burning, containing virtually no sulfur content and it produces lower NOx and particulate matter in the combustion process than fuel oil and marine diesel oil.
A long-time, well-known proponent of LNG as a marine fuel, John Hatley, PE, Gas Initiatives Wärtsilä North America, sees gas as a compelling solution for box feeders, RO/RO vessels, ferries and cruise ships, product tankers, Great Lakes vessels, and ATBs on short coastal voyages that enter into ECAs.
LNG is therefore able to offer a fuel solution compliant with both current and anticipated future regulations.
The larger effect from Annex VI will come when the requirement to reduce sulfur content of marine fuels to 0.5% on a global basis effective 2020 or 2025 depending on the outcome of an IMO low sulfur fuel availability study to be completed in 2018. The issue for ship owners and operators is how to find alternatives to economically meet the low sulfur fuel mandate about to be imposed by MARPOL Annex VI.
However, while LNG is a competitive fuel relative to current alternatives, LNG infrastructure is needed in ports around the world to enable quick, safe and cost effective bunkering. In the U.S., the first LNG bunker transport barge with GTT Mark III Flex tank technology is under construction at Conrad Orange shipyard in Orange, TX, and expected to be delivered in early 2017. LNG bunkering infrastructure is far more advanced in Europe.
“Everybody is calling for alternatives to reduce environmental impacts says Philip Olivier, CEO of ENGIE Global LNG. “That’s why we have joined forces to actively promote LNG as a key fuel in maritime transport. LNG has the potential to take a 10% market share of global bunker demand by 2030. ENGIE will contribute to achieving this target.”
Tom Strang, Senior Vice President, Maritime Affairs, Carnival Corporation & plc, says, “By working together proactively across the whole marine LNG value chain we can make the transition to a lower emission marine sector a reality.”
Lauran Wetemans Shell’s general manager downstream LNG agrees. “To make the transition to LNG as a fuel happen it needs close collaboration with key players across the full value chain,” says, Wetemans. “SEA/LNG aims to promote the benefits and potential of LNG fuel, and create a level playing field for LNG with other fuels. It will complement the work being done by other organizations like the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel.”
Leo Karistios, Gas Technology Lead, Lloyd’s Register, points out, “LNG fuelled shipping has mainly been for the visionaries and, until now, concentrated in specialist ship sectors: short sea shipping and ferries, mainly sailing between two fixed ports. We want to help drive the expansion of LNG as a marine fuel of choice, with not just more short sea and local ships burning gas, but also the deep sea trades.”
Timo Koponen, Vice President, Flow & Gas Solutions, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, says his company will contribute “its vast experience and know-how in gas driven propulsion systems and the entire gas value chain” to the initiative. “By working together, we plan to overcome the challenges and speed the general acceptance of LNG. Having been a pioneer in the use of LNG as a marine fuel, and a developer of major technologies facilitating the adoption of LNG fuel, it is natural that Wärtsilä supports wholeheartedly the aims of the SEA/LNG coalition.”
Developing bulk carrier concept
Wärtsilä is also involved with an effort with class society ABS, Arista Shipping, Deltamarin, and GTT in the Project Forward joint development project (JDP) to develop a dry bulk carrier concept that employs LNG as fuel.
The goal is to develop a Kamsarmax bulk carrier design to be the first of this type suitable for worldwide services powered by LNG in compliance with the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index 2025 standards, NOx Tier III and MARPOL Annex VI SOx emission levels. This landmark design will be the first LNG-fueled cargo ship capable of full-range operations.
“The long-term potential for LNG as a marine fuel is tremendous,” says ABS Vice President of Global Gas Solutions Patrick Janssens. “We see the near-term opportunities for larger vessels on fixed and known trade routes, but more opportunities will emerge as concepts mature and bunkering infrastructure expands. Environmental stewardship will continue to be a concern, and owners will be evaluating alternative fuel choices.”
“Project Forward represents a milestone for the shipping industry in bringing to the market a practical, achievable design for what are the workhorses of the shipping fleet,” says Arista Shipping Principal Alexander P. Panagopulos. “Our mission is to develop the next generation of energy efficient and environmentally friendly dry bulk cargo ships to be sustainable worldwide beyond 2030. It marks a number of ‘firsts’ and draws together the experience of a team of leaders in their field to make LNG powered shipping a reality on the high seas.”
Technical challenges in developing this design were considerable, as there is a need to carry a large volume of LNG (2,500 m3) – which corresponds to full-range operation and 40 days – in a type of ship where available space is limited and cargo space is at a premium.
ABS will provide Approval in Principle (AIP) for the concept, which is based on the highly optimized Deltamarin B.Delta 82 design, utilizing a GTT membrane LNG fuel tank. This design also could be applied to other bulk carrier sizes and serve as the basis for an LNG-fueled tanker. The concept features a Wärtsilä four-stroke, medium-speed engine without auxiliary generators, the first time this configuration has been applied to a vessel of this type, significantly simplifying the vessel’s engine room arrangement and contributing to lower capital expenditure.
Read more from our Green Technology & Sustainable Shipping section in our Digital Edition.
ML: Tell us a bit about your background. How did you get started in the marine business?
MD: Originally from the UK, my introduction to the Marine world can be traced back to growing up and learning to sail in my early teens—as well as the influence of my father, a mechanical engineer. To complement my understanding of science and engineering, and my sailing hobby, by the time I was University age, I chose to undertake a Naval Architecture and Offshore engineering degree. A graduate of both the Lloyds Register (LR) internship program and Lloyds Register Graduate training scheme, I have been fortunate, but also driven to obtain a diverse understanding of the global supply chain and Marine business as a whole over the 16 years I have worked for LR. Having held a variety of roles across our business and areas of operations—from London, Dubai, South Africa, South East Asia and now the Americas—each role has been an incredible professional and personal learning experience, and has given me a broad view of our clients, their challenges, the global interconnected nature of our Marine business as well as the place and importance of Lloyd’s Register both now and as we look to the future.
ML: You’ve worked with Lloyd’s Register in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Are the challenges for a classification society any different in Americas than the rest of the world?
MD: Irrespective of geography, at Lloyd’s Register our primary aim is about helping to shape the future of shipping, while delivering solutions today – helping clients and stakeholders make the best commercial decisions based on the best technical insight. Over the years this has seen an evolution in how and what all Classification societies view as their part in the industry, from core classification to industry and individual client advisors. Clearly irrespective of geography, many of our client challenges are similar and I think one thing my global experience has taught me is that there are many synergies between geographies, segments, and clients that enable us in the Americas to be agile and expedite the best solutions for our clients.
In the Americas specifically, we operate across 14 countries and it’s important that we have both the right existing as well as future resource and knowledge base to address the challenges of our client bases as markets, ship segments, energy and social economic policies impact their operations and future strategic direction across those countries. Looking at the future of our services across the Americas, therefore, we have recently made enhancements to how we serve and work with our client bases across the region. Outside of our core Classification business and surveyors on ships, this ranges from working with the Royal Canadian Navy to developing a Regulatory regime for Naval Safety and their shipbuilding program to developing new propulsion configurations with our GE COGES (COmbined Gas turbine Electric and Steam) Joint Industry Project for LNG and ULCS construction right across the spectrum to helping understand small scale and inland waterways LNG solutions in the Gulf, South and Central America. While the challenges may be geographically unique, and different markets may require different solutions, our aim has always been to provide solutions and aid decision making for our industry.
ML: What are the biggest challenges faced by vessel operators today? Complying with stricter environmental regulations? Cybersecurity? Crew training?
MD: As you know these are very interesting times for the Marine Industry as a whole and inherent stakeholders there-in. Interestingly with the downturn in many sectors, we are seeing the emergence of an industry that, while remaining the enabler of world trade, is more open to drive innovation, offering interesting, dynamic technical solutions and careers as we search for answers to questions about the future of Marine and Offshore. The solutions to many of the challenges faced by owners today are also increasingly coming from other industries or providers not traditionally known within Marine. Aside from the ongoing regulatory changes, we are working with many owner/operators and shipyards across the world in so many areas. Sensors, data and robotics could drive safer, autonomous operations and surveys; new fuels are going to emerge to help lower greenhouse gases as well as improve local air emissions; new software tools will be developed to improve vessel design and safety oversight while also optimizing performance outcomes; and a new cyber enabled shipping that will see the development of things that we can’t predict and possibly lead to a significant and exponential disruption in the industry. We are also seeing the increasing challenge of obsolesce in newer and newer assets as well as a shift in firstly attracting then maintaining and training next generation crews.
These are very technological, challenging yet interesting and visionary times for Marine and Offshore.
ML: How do you see class evolving over the next decade? What challenges does your organization face in the years ahead?
MD: The role and place of Class societies has markedly changed over the last decade and looking forward the pace of industry change and technological advancement means we are already scenario planning for what may be needed in the next decades. It’s critical we understand and address these changes not only in terms of future core surveying capabilities and technologies but importantly to remain relevant and agile in maintaining our technology leadership and aims as an industry advisor. We often say “We are our people” and as someone who’s worked across the globe I have seen first-hand the breadth of our global knowledge base, connection and industry expectations. Ensuring we adapt to these changing needs is vital as well as ensuring we continue to invest either time or capital in understanding and shaping technology impacts to our own business with the agility to redefine what we do. To this aim we’ve working closer with industry visionaries many of whom reside in the Americas both historical marine companies but increasingly from outside of Marine. Real world solutions to industry challenges such as our joint venture project with Siemens, Dresser-Rand, Waller Marine and Conrad are examples of greater cross-industry collaboration in meeting tomorrow’s challenges.
MAY 13, 2016 — Baltimore, MD, headquartered Vane Brothers has added two more vessels its growing fleet: the 4,200 horsepower tugboat Hudson and the 55,000 barrel barge Double Skin 601. The Hudson
FEBRUARY 4, 2016 – Offshore marine and engineering consultancy Aqualis Offshore, part of Oslo-listed Aqualis ASA, has been contracted by Gas Entec Co. Ltd to provide an engineering study for the 2,200
JANUARY 28, 2016 – The Vane Brothers Company, Baltimore, MD, has taken delivery of the Elizabeth Anne, the first in a series of eight 4,200 horsepower tugboats. All eight Elizabeth Anne Class
