John r. Snyder Publisher & Editor Editorial
jsnyder@sbpub.com
August 2000 Vol 105 No 8
editorial
Smoothing the transition to LNG
T
he use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel has really grabbed the imagination of vessel operators. What’s compelling about burning LNG is that it is clearly environmentally friendly—virtually eliminating particulate matter and sulfur dioxides (SOx) and reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) by at least 85 percent. By equipping ships with dualfuel engines or gas-only engines, operators will be able to sail through Sulfur Emission Control Areas or Emission Control Areas in full compliance. The other choices are to burn ultra low sulfur fuel or operate on Heavy Fuel Oil and use exhaust gas scrubbers. SECAs and ECAs are all about cleaner air. Southern California and around the Port of Los Angeles, for example, has some of the worst air quality in the U.S. Particulate matter and smog have been linked to cancer, asthma, premature death and respiratory ailments. On top Blenkey of the environmental benefits, switching to LNG Nicholas makes good business sense, too. One operator that sees LNG’s Editor value to the bottom line is Washington State Ferries. Speaking at a recent breakfast seminar hosted by DNV in Washington, DC, David Moseley, Assistant Secretary for the Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division, said fuel now represents 29 percent of the ferry system’s operating budget. He figures by switching his fleet to LNG, he will save an average of $6.4 million annually. “I take very seriously the imperative that we need to develop cleaner fuels,” said Moseley, but he clearly sees the economic benefit. Moseley sees LNG, however, as a transitional fuel, until alternatives such as solar, wind, wave, etc., become more fully developed over the next 50 years. As we report in this issue in “Who has gas and who wants it?,” Moseley highlights WSF’s plans for converting six
Issaquah Class ferries to burn LNG during a midlife propulsion refit. What we also report on in this issue is the other part of the LNG equation—namely, the availability of LNG for refueling. As we highlight in our Update section, “Shell to pump up LNG availability in the U.S.,” Shell Oil is doing its part by investing in two small scale reliquefaction units that will be strategically located to supply the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes region. I would also expect companies such as Clean Energy Fuels—T. Boone Pickens’ company—to expand the availability of LNG. Clean Energy is already the largest provider of LNG to the North American transportation market. They are setting up a string of LNG refueling stations on truck routes and supplying Compressed Natural Gas to sanitation trucks in Seattle. On another front, the mainstream media was all over the sad saga of the Carnival Triumph. As we discuss in “No fun on this fun ship: Carnival Triumph’s nightmarish voyage” in our Update section, the powerless cruise ship left passengers adrift on a steamy, malodorous adventure. The question is whether the mishap will prompt a review in cruise ship design. Would it be worthwhile to look at designing cruise ships with two separate engine rooms to add redundancy? And speaking of cruise ships, American Salvage Association president Tim Beaver marks the one year anniversary of the Costa Concordia incident in this month’s Salvage Column. Titan Salvage and its Italian partner Micoperi SRL are leading the incredibly complex task of salvaging the ship off of the island of Giglio, Italy. The operation—which will cost an estimated $400 million—is called Parbuckling and involves building a series of underwater platforms and using flotation devices to lift the Costa Concordia upright so that it can be towed away. It is truly an amazing feat of engineering and ingenuity.
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