Estimation of global liquefied natural gas use by sea-going ships

Environmental pollution is a growing concern for many organizations, commissions, state governments, and companies. The use of fossil fuels in transportation contributes significantly to increased emissions of harmful sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Maritime transport, as one of the largest emitters of such harmful compounds, has encountered many emission restrictions and legal limitations. These include the creation of areas of strict exhaust gas control (ECA). According to the MARPOL Convention, Annex VI, Special Emission Control Areas have been in force since 01.01.2015, and they include the following areas: the Baltic Sea, North Sea, North America (covering the designated coasts of the USA and Canada and portions of the Caribbean Sea near the USA). According to current regulations, vessels providing services in ECAs are required to maintain sulphur oxide emissions that do not exceed 0.1%. The introduction of new regulations results in costs that have to be covered by shipowners. To meet these standards, the two most popular methods are the use of special flushing systems (scrubbers) and low-sulphur fuels (e.g., LNG). This publication addresses the use of LNG as fuel for the main propulsion of sea-going vessels operating in areas covered by strict sulphur emission controls. It also presents LNG demand forecasts for various ship types, as well as possible solutions satisfying the Sulphur Directive. The purpose of this paper is to present a way to determine the size of the global demand for LNG. The percentage of vessels powered by LNG and other fuels was used as a basis for estimating global LNG demand in shipping until 2030.