Ports need new supply chain to support low-energy density fuels - GCMD chief
New supply chains need to be developed to increase the uptake of alternative fuels in shipping, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation's (GCMD) chief executive Lynn Loo said.
PHOTO: Methanol or methyl alcohol drums. Getty Images
Building new port infrastructure, including storage tanks, bunkering facilities, delivery pipelines, and more, is necessary to support the adoption of methanol, ammonia, LNG, or biofuels to traditional fossil fuels, she mentioned in a recent social media post.
Instead of the current bunkering scenario, where shipping companies prefer to bunker conventional-oil-based marine fuels at a few ports, Loo anticipates that future alternative fuel bunkering could be more evenly dispersed.
She thinks as more ships transit to methanol or ammonia they will be required to bunker at different ports due to frequent bunkering. Methanol and ammonia have low-energy density levels than conventional marine fuels, meaning more fuel needs to be burned to complete a voyage.
“Across segments, 50% of vessels have a "favourite" port today, i.e., they conduct bunkering operations at the same port more than 50% of the time,” Loo added.
Methanol or ammonia-powered dry bulk vessels operating on trade routes between Australia and China will be only able to complete one-way voyages on single bunkering, Loo says. “Whereas ships on the iron ore route between Australia and China can make multiple roundtrips with a single fuel oil bunkering operation,” she added.
She goes on to add that conventional-fuelled container ships on the China-US west coast route will be able to complete the full voyage without the need for refuelling bunkers. However, those container ships running on ammonia or methanol need to be refuelled mid-way.
New port infrastructure will be needed globally to support the transition. “We need to consider supply chain and infrastructure buildout to support the flow of these molecules,” Loo concluded.
By Aparupa Mazumder
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