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Business GNL
23/04/18
LNG is used to fuel tankers. It emits no particles or sulphur oxide, very little nitrogen oxide, and much less CO2 than heavy fuel oil. LNG is increasingly being used in the maritime sector. That’s why Dunkerque LNG has pursued its goal of developing an LNG filling station at the LNG terminal.
In France, it's only recently that politicians have understood that LNG is the only fuel (in both the long- and medium-term) that can be used to power tankers that also meets environmental requirements, particularly in terms of sulphur emissions. In November last year, during the Interministerial Maritime Committee meeting, the Prime Minister and the Minister for an Ecological & Inclusive Transition made positive overtures on LNG as a maritime fuel. At the same time, major steps have been made in the maritime sector, with the announcement by French company CMA-CGM, one of the biggest shipowners in the world, of an order for 9 container ships (22,000 TEU) powered by LNG. One of its biggest competitors, Hapag Lloyd, recently stated they would seriously consider this option when they next purchased container ships. Compared to heavy fuel oils, LNG has the advantage of no particle emissions, 20 to 30 % lower CO2 emissions, and no sulphuric product emissions. The fuel of the future complies with the current 0.1% threshold required in the Low Emission Zones in the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Baltic Sea. It also falls within the future threshold of 0.5% imposed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) applicable from 2020 in all seas and oceans. "The LNG-as-fuel market is just getting started. Some future studies have indicated that by 2030 consumption of LNG could reach 15 to 20 million tonnes a year in north-western Europe. Although the volume in question is pretty low compared to LNG imports for regasification, it's nonetheless an attractive prospect for our clients. We want to help them access this market opportunity by building the necessary infrastructure to take advantage of it," explains Cécile Grégoire-David, Business Development Director at Dunkerque LNG.
The layout of the terminal needs to be changed to accommodate an LNG filling station for tankers. The off-shore supply vessels are smaller than traditional methane tankers. Initially, Dunkerque LNG plans to make the investments necessary for adapting the current mooring system on its jetty. Most of the jetty is reserved for unloading. Dunkerque LNG plans to create a specific jetty for the small-scale market, in other words, small deliveries of LNG to refuel off-shore supply vessels. "At the moment, we’re exploring possible technical solutions and the economic considerations involved in having a jetty specifically for refuelling. We replied to a call for applications for European grants and we got a lot of support from the local community: ports in the north of France, local authorities (Hauts de France, Dunkirk, Pas-de-Calais), potential clients (LNG suppliers with or developing off-shore supply vessels)," adds Cécile Grégoire-David. She’s not shy about Dunkerque LNG's ambition to make its terminal a major filling station in Europe. "It’s a bet on the future because we don't yet have clients specifically in this segment, just expressions of interest. If we want to be in a good position in the future, we need to be one of the pioneers, especially considering LNG filling stations have recently opened in Rotterdam and Zeebrugge," concludes Cécile Grégoire-David.
Small Scale LNG from Dunkirk: a closer look
Article présenté sur la lettre d'information : Avril 2018
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