LNG bunkering next to the Erasmus bridge, could it be feasible in the future? DNV has assisted the Port of Rotterdam in selecting suitable locations for LNG bunkering operations.
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) becomes ever more interesting as fuel for shipping. One of the main reasons are the upcoming stringent requirements for emissions from ship engines following the adoption of Emission Control Areas as of 2015. A ship engine running on LNG emits significantly lower amounts of NOx, SOx and particulate matter. It also reduces the output of CO2, particularly compared with ship engines running on conventional Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO).
Cost Benefits
Another benefit of LNG is that it is cost saving. A ship burns a lot of fuel, up to 250 tons of heavy fuel oil per day for the largest container vessels. And with an oil price expected to keep increasing in the years ahead, this fuel consumption turns into a large fuel bill. It is expected that in 2015, 80% of the daily costs of owning and operating a ship is spent on fuel.
Suitable Locations for LNG
In order to use LNG as a shipping fuel there is a need to develop an LNG bunkering infrastructure. Several bunkering configurations are possible to deliver the LNG to the vessel. At this moment LNG bunkering already takes place in Norway, where ferries are bunkered from LNG trucks and local storage terminals. However, most of the bunkering activities in Norway take place in remote areas which are thinly populated. In those areas, external safety is not a real concern. In densely populated countries like the Netherlands external safety could be an important topic and hazardous activities should be positioned carefully.
Beanport
The Port of Rotterdam created a virtual port “the Beanport” where different bunkering configurations take place. DNV performed a study to calculate the risks associated with the different bunker configurations in the virtual LNG port.
Safe Location Depends on Bunker Category
DNV found that LNG bunkering on a safe location is strongly dependent on the selected bunker category. Bunkering of small inland vessels by LNG trucks can be closer to residential areas than LNG bunkering of large container vessels by large bunker vessels. The result of the risk calculations will be used by the Port authorities for selection of suitable locations for LNG bunkering operations.
Source: https://www.dnv.nl/nieuws_events/nieuws/2012/lng_as_shipping_fuel_in_rotterdam.asp[DNV]
