The multi-sector industry coalition SEA-LNG released a new report showing that LNG is no longer a niche option but a marine fuel of the future.
2020 was a year of positive developments for LNG-fuelled shipping. It saw a record number of ships using and ports supplying LNG.
The fundamental binary choice facing newbuilds in 2021 is a choice between using LNG now or retrofitting later, as stressed by Peter Keller , chairman of SEA-LNG. LNG enables ships to reduce carbon emissions now instead of waiting for technologies to develop in the future.
SEA-LNG regards bio-LNG as a “prime pathway to carbon neutrality”. Its gradual introduction alongside synthetic LNG will incrementally decarbonise shipping towards the IMO’s 2050 targets.
The probability of a variety of future marine fuels is considered to be high and it is important to establish comparison on a level playing field. The report notes the need for lifecycle analysis with current data-taking actual operational environments into account. Working with seafarers, ports, and port communities is considered essential. The industry must make decisions on future fuels on a well-to-wake basis, looking at total emissions throughout the lifecycle of a fuel.
Going LNG represents a positive pathway to carbon neutrality in marine fuels. SEA-LNG will continue its commercially focused studies to provide intelligence regarding the investment case for LNG as a marine fuel for shipowners, shipyards, ports, and wider stakeholders.