High-ranking state officials from Norway met with the senior management team at DNV GL’s maritime headquarters in Hamburg.
Tor Svensen, CEO, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, COO, and Torsten Schramm, President of DNV GL – Maritime, shared the classification society’s experiences with liquefied natural gas as a fuel for shipping with Norwegian State Secretary Dilek Ayhan and spoke about the potential LNG may have for the future of the global maritime industry.
Of the 62 LNG fuelled ships in operation and 77, which are currently on order, 79 belong to DNV GL class. LNG is considered one of the most important alternative fuels to help the shipping industry reduce its environmental impact as vessels operating on LNG have greatly reduced SOx, NOx and particulate emissions while emitting less CO2.
Currently, DNV GL is working on a number of projects utilising LNG as a ship fuel, including a ferry newbuilding project for the German owner AG Ems, a RoRo Ferry that is being built by the Flensburger Schiffbaugesellschaft and will operate in Australia as well as a series of LNG-ready very large container vessels for the United Arab Shipping Company.
DNV GL is also working closely with many national governments, especially those in Norway and Germany, to develop sustainable solutions for shipping and regularly advises shipping companies on cost-effective technology solutions to achieve compliance with environmental regulations.
By 2016, all the European Union’s Member States will have to specify in their national policy frameworks which maritime and inland ports are to provide access to LNG refuelling points. This comes as a result of the “directive for the deployment of the alternative fuels infrastructure”, which requires Member States to provide a minimum infrastructure for alternative fuels such as electricity, hydrogen and natural gas, as well as common EU-wide standards for equipment needed and user information. DNV GL is currently involved in drawing up a master plan for LNG bunkering stations along the River Rhein. This plan will be presented by the end of this year.
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