CMA CGM announced on Nov 07, 2017 that it’s 9 newbuild 22,000 TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) expected to be delivered in 2020 will be fitted with LNG-fuelled engines.
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) as a fuel has been proven to offer huge advantages, especially with stricter emission regulations coming into force. There are different technologies which can be used to comply with air emission limits but use of LNG cuts down on the emissions (NOx, SOx, PM, CO2) by around 85% in nitrogen oxides (NOx) as well about 99% in sulphur oxides (SOx). LNG can also be competitive pricewise with distillate fuels. Also, with LNG fuel, particulate matter (PM) emissions are negligible with reductions of about 25% in Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
There is also a significant inprovement in the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) of the ship by about 20% compared to ships which are only powered by fuel oil.
These containerships will be LNG-powered with a small percent of marine gas oil to be used only for ignition in the combustion chamber.
For a while now, gas carriers have been using LNG as a part of their fuel source. And of course, the safety record of gas carriers is extremely good. Using LNG as a fuel for conventional ships introduces new systems along with the risks of working on them. Designing, building and operating such ships needs proper assessing and controlling of the risks so as to minimise them.
Going forward, one can expect more and more companies placing orders for gas-fuelled engines for conventional ships.
Maritime Outlook 