Oil & Gas

Use of Biofuels in Shipping

The use of biofuels or biofuel blends is one of many ways to comply with the IMO’s strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, and DNV has seen an increasing interest in these new fuels. This news aims to clarify the regulatory status and other considerations on the usage of such fuels. DNV has received many requests regarding…

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Report Examining Ecological Impact of Ammonia as a Shipping Fuel

A joint study released by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Lloyd’s Register (LR), and Ricardo PLC examines the potential marine environmental impacts of Ammonia spills during its use as a shipping fuel. Ammonia generated from renewable energy is considered a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels as the shipping industry decarbonizes. The study, which used extensive modelling due to the scarcity of…


New Age of Sail Looks to Slash Massive Maritime Carbon Emissions

If ocean shipping were a country, it would be the sixth-largest carbon emitter, releasing more CO2 annually than Germany. International shipping accounts for about 2.2% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.N. International Maritime Organization. But change is on the way. Wind, solar electric, and hydrogen-powered ships offer innovative low- or no-carbon alternatives to fossil fuel-powered cargo…


Sustaining Power Availability

As assistant naval staff for plans (N5) in 1999, I had an opportunity to visit the construction site of the concrete gravity structure (CGS) of the Malampaya gas-to-power project in Subic bay area. The then Captain Constancio Jardiniano, later rear admiral and former N5, personally piloted the navy helicopter that brought us there. In our earlier discussions, we both considered…



Global Floating Wind Energy Market to Record a 2000-fold Increase by 2050

A new report forecasts that with the right drivers in place, the installed capacity of floating wind energy will grow from the existing 100 MW to 250 GW in 2050 – a 2000-fold increase.  The study from risk management and quality assurance company DNV GL states that because floating wind energy is unrestrained by ocean depth, “it will be an…


Methanol as Marine Fuel

Very large fuel tankers run on heavy fuel oil (HFO) mainly because of its low price but HFO emits a  substantial amount of greenhouse gas (GHG). Cleaner ways of reducing emissions include shifting to alternative fuels like LNG, biogas, methanol, wind, hybrid-electric, fully electric, fuel cells, or by lowering speed. The Paris Agreement and agreements within the IMO mandate that…


New Poll: Majority of Americans Would Change Where They Shop to Support Cleaner Ships

A new poll conducted for Pacific Environment by Yale University, George Mason University, and Climate Nexus finds that nearly three-quarters (74%) of American voters would be more likely to shop at companies that use cleaner ways to ship their goods. The poll finds that 70% of American voters would continue to shop at these brands even if using clean ships…


Retrofit Highlights use of LPG as a Marine Fuel

The world’s first LPG-fuelled vessel has set sail. Powered with Wärtsilä’s customized and reliable Fuel Supply System, the vessel represents a major breakthrough in the search for new ways to reduce marine emissions. BW LPG, the world’s largest owner and operator of very large liquified petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, is approaching a major milestone in the retrofit of a number…


SHELL Sets Course for Net-Zero Emissions Shipping

Today, in a new report, Decarbonizing Shipping: Setting Shell’s Course, Shell highlights the important role that hydrogen and fuel cells could play in achieving a decarbonized shipping sector. Calling for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt a clear trajectory to net-zero emissions by 2050, Shell outlines how it is contributing to accelerating the change needed in the industry to…


Market Expansion and Diversification Over The Past Decade: What’s Next for LNG?

Using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel is a sensible strategy amid tightening regulations, new economic realities and the development of the new zero carbon fuels of the future, says Panos Mitrou, Head of Gas, Lloyd’s Register (LR). Panos Mitrou, LR’s Global Gas Segment Manager, has been dealing with LNG as fuel for the past eight years. Over…


ExxonMobil Completes Successful Trial of its Marine Biofuel Oil

ExxonMobil has completed a successful sea trial of the company’s first marine biofuel oil with shipping company Stena Bulk, bunkered in the port of Rotterdam. The marine biofuel oil is a 0.50% sulphur residual-based fuel (VLSFO) processed with a second-generation waste-based FAME component (ISCC certified) —and will be available later this year— initially in Rotterdam before a wider launch across…


Fuel Choice – the Essential Decision in Shipping’s Decarbonization

DNV GL – Maritime has released the 4th edition of its Maritime Forecast to 2050. The purpose of Maritime Forecast to 2050 is to enhance the ability of shipping stakeholders, especially shipowners, to navigate the technological, regulatory and market uncertainties in the industry, and set shipping on a pathway to decarbonization. It is based on a library of 30 scenarios…


Scrubbers have a Lower Climate Impact than Low-Sulphur Fuels, MARPOL Study Finds

CE Delft issued a new study, in which it finds that scrubbers have a lower climate impact than low-sulphur fuels. Specifically, the study finds that the CO2-emissions associated using a scrubber vary between 1.5% and 3% for a number of representative ships. In many cases, the emissions caused by the production of low-sulphur fuels for these ships are higher, depending…


What is MGO?

The mega ships burn tons of fuel everyday to propel their engines and deliver their massive loads to different ports. Ship engines have been known to use low-grade fuel oil to lower the ship’s operating costs, since the share of fuel cost can reach between 30-50% of total operating costs of a ship. It is not a simple decision to…


Reemergence of Floating Storage Tankers

Amidst the global economic standstill due to the pandemic, a tremendous glut in crude oil supply resulted, and consequently, oil prices plunged. This boded well for the oil tanker industry. But effective May 1, oil producing countries have begun to lower output to reduce the over supply of crude oil. As a result, the price of crude oil has doubled,…


Transforming Carbon Dioxide into Fuel More Efficiently with a Water-Conducting Membrane

Summary. Methanol is a versatile and efficient chemical used as fuel in the production of countless products. Carbon dioxide (CO2), on the other hand, is a greenhouse gas, the unwanted byproduct of many industrial processes. Converting CO2 to Methanol is one way to put CO2 to good use. Separation membranes could vastly improve multiple chemical processes. In research paper published…


Analyzing Future Marine Fuels

According to CAI International, “Since the 1960’s, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) has been the king of shipping fuels. A byproduct of crude oil, HFO expels 35,000 ppm into the environment and accounts for 8% of the sulfuric dioxide in the air. The arrival of the IMO 2020 fuel regulation in 2019 signaled a formal move toward alternatives to HFO like…


Wärtsilä To Supply World’s First Hybrid Powered Self-Discharging Bulk Carriers

The technology group Wärtsilä has been selected to provide the complete system design and full equipment scope for two new 9300 DWT self-discharging bulk carriers featuring hybrid propulsion. The ships will be the first of their kind to be fitted with a hybrid propulsion solution. They are being built for Norway’s Aasen Shipping at the Royal Bodewes Shipyard in the…


What is LNG?

Natural gas, which took over millions of years of transformation of organic materials, such as plankton and algae, is made up of about 95% Methane, which is the cleanest fossil fuel. The combustion of natural gas mainly emits water vapor and tiny amounts of Carbon Dioxide (CO2).  Its CO2 emissions are 30%-50% lower than those produced by other combustible fuels, according…