The consistently low price of natural gas in North America has encouraged dozens of marine fleets to consider using liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel their ships.
A recent survey by Zeus Development Corporation has identified 42 vessels under development or evaluation. The inventory can be downloaded here.
"LNG in North America is leapfrogging past Europe into the next technological generation," explained Zeus Development Corporation LNG fuel analyst Siyu Chen. "Though the first project (Harvey Gulf's offshore service vessel, the ‘Harvey Energy’) has only recently been completed, American fleets are already ordering more, larger vessels than almost anywhere else."
The 42 projects include:
- 17 ferries
- 12 tankers and bulk carriers
- 6 offshore service vessels
- 6 container vessels
- One articulated tug barge.
Most project plans call for purchasing new ships designed to fuel with LNG from the outset, rather than converting diesel or bunker-fuelled vessels to LNG. However, 12 projects are planning to convert existing ships to use the cleaner fuel.
Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward