the form of alternative fuels
and the drive for greener
shipping. With numerous
competing concepts and
technologies, who’s to say
which method will become
main stream and which will
remain in the fringes?
T
he IMO decision to limit the sulphur
content of ship fuel from 1 January
2020 to 0.5 % worldwide – as well as
the recently adopted resolution to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50 %
by 2050 – will change the future mix of
ship fuels dramatically. As it stands, in
2016, the combined amount of heavy fuel
oil (HFO) and marine gas oil (MGO) con-
sumed by ships accounted for no more
than 25 % of total global diesel fuel and
petrol production. This is roughly equiva-
lent to the amount of energy consumed
using liquefied natural gas (LNG), which
stands at 24 %; however, LNG represents
only a small portion (approximately 10 %)
of the overall gas market.
DNV GL is addressing these issues
in a new white paper ‘Alternative fuels
and technologies for greener shipping’.
Assuming an installed base of about 4,000
scrubbers in 2020, no more than 11 %
of ship fuel usage will be high-sulphur
fuel, DNV GL calculates. Latest estimates
assume that no more than 2,000 scrubber
installations will be carried out between
now and 2020.
This raises the question whether
high-sulphur fuel will even be available
outside the largest bunkering ports, if only
4,000 or even fewer ships will be able to
use it. The next question is what the price
differential between HFO and compliant
fuels will be.
22
seatec 1/2019
Maritime is facing a puzzle in