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Leading the way: Rolls-Royce is saving fuel usage
Rolls-Royce has called for governments to introduce more legislation to increase the use of liquefied natural gas in shipping and the offshore sector.
The marine fuels traditionally used by large ships are some of the dirtiest forms of petroleum produced. However, their cost has risen recently in line with that of other fuels. The sector also faces environmental legislation coming into force in 2015 which mandates ship operators to reduce the sulphur content of marine fuel from 1.0% to 0.1% in US and European waters.
However, environmentalists and critics say that the marine sector has been slow to act to reduce the emissions of ships. The use of LNG engines in ships can reduce sulphur oxide emissions by as much as 90% and carbon dioxide emissions by 25%, and also lower fuel costs.
Yrjar Garshol, vice-president of offshore marketing for Rolls-Royce, said: “LNG is too expensive, and there is no one saying that you are not allowed to use normal fuel. To construct and use LNG vessels, it has to be driven by government. The market has developed slower than we anticipated. We thought governments would push it harder than they have.”
Rolls-Royce’s first ship to use LNG fuel was the Island Crusader, which was supplied to marine logistics and services company Island Offshore in 2012. The ship provides supplies to offshore platforms in the North Sea. It is fitted with an azimuthing pulling propeller to enhance fuel efficiency. It also has a sister ship which uses diesel engines.
The company says the Island Crusader uses up to 40% less fuel a day compared with the diesel-fuelled ship, saving the operator up to £3,000 a day. “It has been a big success. It’s just a question of where you get the LNG from in the future,” said Garshol.
“LNG has a foothold in the freight market where you have time to refuel when you reload. Container ships go from A to B. But offshore will develop at a slower pace because it needs more infrastructure.”
He added that most ship-owners would continue to opt for more flexible diesel/LNG hybrid engine configurations until the storage and delivery infrastructure for LNG was better established.