Fostering Sustainable LNG Bunkering Operations

Fostering Sustainable LNG Bunkering Operations: Comparison

Please note this is a comparison between Version 2 by Dean Liu and Version 1 by Bernard Vuskovic.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a liquid form of natural gas, predominantly composed of methane, that has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional hydrocarbon fuels in the maritime transportation sector due to its lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

LNG
LNG bunkering
GHG emissions

1. Introduction

The vigorous development of globalization had an equally strong impact on the development of the maritime industry and transport by creating a single market. Maritime transport nowadays forms the backbone of international trade and the global economy, as more than 80% of the world’s trade is transported by sea.

However, the increase in capacity, number of ships, infrastructure, and other factors often negatively impact the environment. Therefore, environmental protection today is a significant challenge for the sustainability of maritime industry. According to available data, maritime sector is directly responsible for 2–3% of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, which could grow to almost 17% by 2050 without the introduction of regulations by competent authorities ^[1]. In the same period, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of total shipping traffic experienced an increase of 9.6% from 2012–2018 and an increase of 0.13% in global anthropogenic emissions ^[2].

With all this in mind, there was a need for solid and well-organized actions to protect ourthe shared future, coordinated from the highest levels of the maritime industry. For example, the European Union (EU) adopted a plan called ‘Fit for 55′, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve complete climate neutrality by 2050. Also, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted mandatory measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport following the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

According to the IMO, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a liquid with a vapor pressure greater than 0.28 MPa at 37.8 °C ^[1]. It has emerged as the leading solution in the global transition from fossil to renewable energy sources as the purest fossil fuel. Since LNG contains only trace amounts of sulfur, on average less than 0.004%, the emission of harmful SOx compounds is reduced by 95–100%. Furthermore, depending on the engine technology used and the quality of the LNG, using LNG as a propellant reduces NOx compound emissions by 40–80%, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 25–30%, and particulate matter (PM) emissions by 90–100%.

On the other hand, as a fossil fuel, LNG has disadvantages in the form of methane emissions, which may be even more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. Methane has nearly 87 times the global warming potential of CO₂ in the first 20 years after emissions and 36 times in the first 100 years ^[2]. Moreover, according to available data, approximately 3.2–3.4% of produced natural gas leaks into the atmosphere before being burned, with the global average leakage rate estimated to be around 2.2% ^[3]. With this in mind, it is understandable that there is a certain amount of concern due to the increase in number of vessels using LNG as fuel, following the assumption that this trend could lead to a further rise in methane emissions.

2. Industry Guidance

The methods of use of the guidelines should support achieving the desired results in a specific narrow area of activity by guiding best practices related to safety, procedures, equipment, and other factors, which is necessary with LNG bunkering operations. It is only about recommendations or instructions that only serve as help and are not framed by any statute that would make them legally binding. However, in today’s world of intense globalization and increased competition, most companies actively apply guidelines relevant to their field of activity to provide the best possible service to clients and thus achieve the best possible business. Guidelines differ significantly depending on the publisher and content and should be used following the needs and goals of the company. For example, one guide may be more oriented towards risk assessment and acceptance methods, while another may narrowly specialize in the distribution of responsibilities and the operational aspect of the operation. The table below lists some of the available LNG bunkering guidelines that can be effectively used to improve the operation flow (Table 1) [18,27,28,29,30,31,32,33]^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}.

Table 1. The List of LNG Bunkering Guidelines.

Title	Publisher
Development and Operation of Liquefied Natural Gas Bunkering Facilities	Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd (DNV-GL)
Gas as a Marine Fuel: Safety Guidelines	The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF)
Guidance on LNG Bunkering to Port Authorities and Administrations	European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)
Guidelines on LNG Bunkering	Bureau Veritas (BV)
LNG Bunker Checklist Ship to Ship	International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH)
LNG Bunkering Guidelines	International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
LNG Bunkering Technical and Operational Advisory	American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
Standard for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Bunker Checklist Bunker Station to Ship	Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR)

The use of LNG as a clean fuel source in the maritime transport sector is on the rise, and it is advisable for stakeholders involved in LNG bunkering to follow the guidelines outlined in the table. These guidelines provide a comprehensive overview of the various aspects of LNG bunkering, from planning and risk assessment, through the functional requirements of the design and development of LNG bunkering facilities to the LNG bunkering operations themselves. Adherence to these guidelines can positively contribute to minimizing potential adverse environmental impacts and increasing safety, and they will inevitably become increasingly important as the use of LNG as a marine fuel grows. Compliance with these guidelines certainly goes a long way toward building trust among stakeholders and demonstrates a commitment to responsible, proven, and sustainable practices while promoting safety and efficiency. However, it is essential to note that these guidelines are not comprehensive and will generally need to be adapted and selected according to specific circumstances or contexts. Therefore, operators must be equipped with adequate knowledge to make independent judgments and decisions and consult with relevant experts to ensure that their operations are carried out safely and efficiently, thus contributing to the continued growth and development of LNG bunkering. The mentioned (or some other) guides should be used exclusively to help ensure the operation’s safety and efficiency and document the procedures followed rather than as a definitive source of knowledge or law.

References

S&P Global. Available online: https://www.spglobal.com/en/ (accessed on 4 November 2022).
Fourth IMO GHG Study 2020 Full Report. Available online: https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/Pages/Fourth-IMO-Greenhouse-Gas-Study-2020.aspx (accessed on 5 December 2022).
International Maritime Organization. MARPOL: Articles, Protocols, Annexes and Unified Interpretations of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as Modified by the 1978 and 1997 Protocols: Incorporating All Amendments in Force on 1 January 2017/IMO, 6th ed.; International Maritime Organization: London, UK, 2017.
Guidance on LNG Bunkering to Port Authorities and Administrations EMSA Guidance on LNG Bunkering to Port Authorities/Administrations 2 Cover Image Courtesy: AGA EMSA Guidance on LNG Bunkering to Port Authorities/Administrations. 2017. Available online: https://www.emsa.europa.eu/publications/inventories/item/3207-guidance-on-lng-bunkering-to-port-authorities-and-administrations.html (accessed on 18 June 2022).
DNV GL. Recommended Practice DNV GL as Development and Operation of Liquefied Natural Gas Bunkering Facilities. 2015. Available online: https://www.dnv.com/ (accessed on 11 January 2023).
Safety Guide Bunkering V2 DRAFT. Available online: https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/the-ultimate-guide-to-fuel-oil-bunkering-process-on-ships/ (accessed on 7 December 2022).
Marine. Guidelines on LNG Bunkering Guidance Note NI 618 DT R00 E. 2014. Available online: http://www.veristar.com (accessed on 13 December 2022).
IAPH: LNG Bunker Checklist Ship to Ship. Available online: https://sustainableworldports.org/wp-content/uploads/iaph_lng_bunker_checklist_ship_to_ship_final_v3.7a_incl_guidelines.pdf (accessed on 20 January 2023).
ACS: LNG Bunkering Guidelines; No. 142. Available online: https://iacs.org.uk/download/1962 (accessed on 2 February 2023).
MPenfold. ABS|LNG Bunkering Technical and Operational Advisory|01 LNG Bunkering Technical and Operational Advisory. Available online: https://ww2.eagle.org/content/dam/eagle/advisories-and-debriefs/ABS_LNG_Bunkering_Advisory.pdf (accessed on 28 October 2022).
CCNR. Standard for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Bunker Checklist Bunker station to Ship Edition 1.0 Adopted by the Police Regulations Committee on 27 October 2021. Available online: https://www.ccr-zkr.org/ (accessed on 13 February 2023).