SGMF Releases Softcopy Gas as Fuel Guide
The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) has released the softcopy version of its guide: Gas as a Marine Fuel – An introductory guide.
Car ferries currently make up most of the LNG-fuelled fleet. They account for 21 out of 41 (51 percent) of the vessels in operation and 10 out of 38 (26 percent) of the vessels on order.
Offshore support vessels (OSVs) make up the second largest contingent at 29 percent and 18 percent respectively. A variety of other ship types are in service, including marine patrol vessels, tugs, product tankers and general cargo ships.
LNG is available for marine fuel use in the European ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Zeebrugge. LNG can also be bunkered at the Norwegian ports of
Bergen, Florø, Karmøy, Oslo and Risavika/Stavanger. In most cases this is by road tanker; however in Bergen there is a dedicated terminal and Stockholm has a bunker vessel called Seagas that provides LNG fuel. Ports in Finland, Italy and Spain have also loaded LNG as bunker.
There are several ports under development in North America, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and around the Great Lakes, but also for ferry operations on the west coast. South Korea is able to offer LNG bunkering in the port of Incheon and is looking at a second facility at Busan. Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore, Japan and China are looking at LNG bunkering facilities.
Gas-as-fuel training for mariners will come under the IMO’s Standards of Training and
Watchkeeping Committee (STCW). A four-level system is anticipated:
• Familiarisation of the crew with the ship and equipment. This is expected to be the responsibility of ship owners and managers and outside of STCW regulations.
• Basic training of all crew on a gas-fuelled vessel about the safety issues of natural gas and how these should be dealt with on the vessel.
• Advanced training for all officers and engineering crew involved in the operation of the gas fuelling system and the LNG-bunkering process.
• Equipment specific training, probably from the vendors, for the actual systems used on the ship. This too would lie outside the STCW code.
The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) was established to promote best practice in the use of gas as a marine fuel. The society’s ultimate goal is to develop and produce definitive guidelines so that the process of using gas as a marine fuel can be undertaken safely and consistently worldwide. In this way, all the players along the gas supply chain will be able to realise the benefits that stem from its use.
The report is available here.
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