LNG fuelled ship engines
The market for LNG fuelled ship engines is emerging and its prospects are bright. The shipping industry is in need of new technologies to address the emission limits of IMO´s TIER 3 valid from 2016 as well as Emission Control Areas defined in national and EU restrictions.
A new and growing market
Helios is an initiative in the area of 2-stroke engines, but already LNG fuelled ships are being built. LNG and LPG carriers have for long time used gas fuels, but the technology is an option in all sorts of ships. Especially in Norway the demand on LNG-fuelled vessels has been strong, due its strict Emission Control Area. Among coming owners of LNG ships are the Norwegian Coastal Guard, a fish farm and a ferry operator. The retrofit market is also growing. In 2010 Swedish Tarbit Shipping signed a contract for the conversion of a 25.000 dwt tanker to LNG propulsion. The Finish cruise ferry company Viking Line considers a LNG fuelled engine for a coming enormous ferry.
Gas advantages
The LNG solution is indeed attractive, because it eliminates sulphur emissions, significantly reduces NOX emissions and lower emissions of CO2by 20-25%. Combined with EGR and waste heat recovery LNG fuel is a solution to TIER 3. LNG is also economically attractive, as its price per energy content is lower than oil, and fuel oil prices are rising drastically.
The major ship engine designers, Mitsubishi, Wartsila and MAN Diesel & Turbo, are engaged in the technical development of LNG fuelled engines. Classification societies are active in the development and have issued “Rules for LNG for ships”. Also other players in the industry participate in the new venture and have realised that a new market is emerging. A new generation of ship engines can be introduced in the shipping industry, because the engine designers can offer the technology, the shipowners are alert, and the classification companies elaborated rules of LNG for ships. The new generation is strongly needed by the ship owners in order to comply with the TIER 3 restriction of 2016. The ships have to follow the same green route as all other energy consuming sectors started earlier.
Challenges
Technical challenges still exist in the development of the new LNG engines, because LNG requires much more space and another infrastructure in the ports, including terminals, supply ships etc. The industry invests many efforts in the development of new systems to the handling of LNG from bunkering, storage and supply. In addition to that new materials and injection systems have to be developed. The Helios project will contribute to the technical progress and is expected to result in solutions after three years.
A new green ship engine generation is being established.