Offshore Wind Promising Market for LNG-Fuelled Vessels

Offshore wind installation is a promising market for LNG-fuelled vessels, according to GustoMSC’s report titled ‘LNG fueled Mobile offshore units’.

The report, which considers the most relevant technical, operational and economic factors for the use of this fuel in mobile offshore units, says predictable operational profile and associated shore bases in offshore wind installation makes it a promising market for implementation of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as a fuel.

Of the units considered, the Dynamically Positioned vessels and semi-submersible showed the highest potential for fuel cost savings with LNG.

Here, it might be worthy of mentioning that DEME’s newly-ordered DP3 installation vessel Orion will be able to run on LNG, as environmental considerations have been an important element of the vessel design, according to the Belgian offshore construction company.

The maritime industry is experiencing increasingly stricter global and local emission limits, mainly due to a continuing rise in environmental awareness and subsequent political initiatives, GustoMSC said.

Mobile Offshore Units, such as construction vessels, drillships, jack-ups and semi-submersibles, often operate in so-called ECAs (Emission Control Areas). Meeting the associated limits for Sulphur Oxides (SOx), Nitrous Oxides (NOx) and, Particulate Matter (PM) emissions is therefore an important consideration for units currently in operation, as well as new builds, according to GustoMSC.

The company said it had been monitoring the development of LNG as a marine fuel for several years, culminating in a recently finished R&D project into LNG for its design portfolio.

The associated report concludes that feasible LNG applications are possible when all technical, operational and economic aspects are considered at an early stage. Different possibilities exist to optimize designs, business cases and supply chains. All of these require careful alignment with the unit’s design and operations.

When implemented correctly, the result can be significant savings in fuel costs and emissions over a unit’s lifetime, as well as future-proofing with regard to new ECAs, emission quota and increased global uptake of natural gas, the vessel designer said.

“As designers, we try to take a holistic approach to these things and consider everything from technical to finance to vendors, and we think that’s a real added value”, said Douwe de Jong, Project Manager R&D GustoMSC and author of the report.

“What we’ve tried to do with these concepts is to show a very big design space of options and discussion topics”, de Jong concluded.