Improving sustainability of maritime transport through utilization of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for propulsion

Today, most merchant vessels use Heavy Fuel Oils (HFOs) for ship propulsion. These fuels are cost effective but they produce significant amounts of noxious emissions. In order to comply with International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is becoming an interesting option for merchant ships. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to analyse the economic upturn that can result from the use of LNG as fuel for merchant ships and to assess the effects of its utilization in terms of environmental impact. In the first part of the study, a statistical analysis of maritime traffic is carried out in order to identify which merchant ship types could most benefit from using LNG as fuel for ship propulsion. Traffic data of world ships related to the months of May 2008, 2009 and 2010 are analysed. Roll-on/Roll-off vessels (RoRo) and tanker ships spend most of their sailing time in Emission Control Areas (ECA) consequently appear to be the best candidates for LNG use. In particular, the use of LNG is most profitable for tanker ships in the range of 10,000e60,000 DWT (deadweight). In the second part of the study, operational costs and pollutant emission reduction, following LNG implementation, are calculated for a 33,000 DWT tanker ship. Results show that LNG leads to a reduction of 35% of operational costs and 25% of CO2 emissions. The possibility of improving energy efficiency on board is analysed considering that combustion gases, produced by LNG, are cleaner, thus simplifying the introduction of exhaust gas heat recovery. Two options are considered: simple heat recovery and heat recovery to drive a turbine (ORC). The results show that it is possible to achieve a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 15%.