Large-scale LNG powered ships will proliferate in the future

With the rapid growth of LNG storage tanks installed on LNG powerboats, the number of large vessels using LNG power may surge in the next few years, which may also mean the beginning of a new era of ship fuel.

DNV GL Marine Department Alternative FuelsInsight (AFI) platform director Martin Wold said that there are currently 163 LNG power vessels in operation worldwide, in addition to 155 LNG power vessels are under construction.

In the past few years, orders for new LNG powerboats have grown steadily and are currently maintained at around 40 ships per year. However, in the first five months of 2019, the LNG power boat new ship orders have exceeded 40, indicating that the pace of LNG fuel investment is accelerating.

In addition, data from the AFI platform shows that by the end of 2020, the installed capacity of LNG storage tanks will increase from the current 100,000 cubic meters to more than three times. According to Wold, this means that large ships in the areas of cruise ships, container ships and tankers are driven by LNG fuel and large LNG tanks are installed on board.

Wold said that the 2020 sulphur emission control regulations seem to accelerate the use of LNG fuels, especially for large vessels, which may be good news for the industry to improve fuel supply and asset utilization.

At the same time, Wold said that the number of ships installing exhaust gas scrubbers is currently 3,553, but the actual number may be higher because some manufacturers do not regularly report orders.

Wold pointed out that the 2018 boom period seems to have stabilized, but new orders are still increasing. More than 2,000 exhaust gas scrubbers will be installed in 2019, and nearly 3,000 installed exhaust gas will be washed by the 2020 sulfur limit. The ship's ship began to operate. However, given the complexity of the exhaust scrubber modification, he does not expect all ships to be operational by 2020.

DNV GL's AFI platform was created in 2018 as an open platform to help shipowners and other maritime stakeholders monitor the use of alternative fuels and technologies worldwide and evaluate the best options for ships. The platform covers LNG, LPG and methanol, as well as abatement technologies such as scrubbers and batteries. As of now, more than 2,000 users have registered for the AFI platform.

Zhenjiang Matchau Marine Equipment Co.,Ltd. hopes to seize this opportunity and seek extensive cooperation with major ship owners around the world.