Manon Dumontier presents at GASTECH

Gas as a Transport Fuel 29 October at 14:50 – 15:15 Are the Economics of Retrofitting Holding Back the LNG Bunkering? LNG as marine fuel remains a modest market, but infrastructure is expanding. There are now 9 LNG bunkering ports in operation, 16 planned or under development and more than 30 proposed; this is in addition to over 140 large-scale liquefaction and import LNG terminals – a number of which have potential to supply LNG as marine fuel. The ‘chicken’, albeit skinny, appears to be no longer the problem – it is the ‘egg’ (i.e. ships to use the infrastructure) that is missing. Facility developers and supporters of LNG bunkering had indeed hoped for a wave of LNG-engine retrofits to follow the arrival of the first LNG bunker facilities, with respected commentators forecasting back in 2012 that 65% of the demand for LNG fuel in 2015 would come from retrofits. This is has not happened. The conversion of the German containership WES Amelie to dual-fuel LNG propulsion, announced this month, brings to 9 only the number of completed or projected retrofits, or less than 1% of the 145[1] LNG-fueled vessels existing or on order. Poten will analyse the reasons for this disappointing development, and consider whether LNG retrofits remains attractive to a shipping industry in economic turmoil, in a low oil price environment. Click here to request Manon’s presentation  Visit us at stand number D374