Inland Navigation in a clean energy era

摘要

A representative of the International Shipping Federation said at a recent conference (in China) that the country "stands at the forefront in using natural gas as a bunker fuel." The application of LNG in the country's inland water transport has raised awareness of alternative fuels, but what is the current situation, asks Liu Ying of China Ship News?The economic and environmental advantages of LNG as a bunker fuel are obvious. It is understood that for hybrid vessels that use both LNG and diesel, the diesel replacement by natural gas can reach around 70%, bringing economic and environmental benefits. According to statistics, dual-fuel engines' sulphur oxide and particulate emissions are 70% lower, nitrogen oxide emissions are 35-40% lower, and CO_2 emissions are 20-28% lower. Additionally, LNG has a strong price advantage when compared to diesel. In China, the price of diesel exceeded Rmb8000/tonne (US$1270/tonne) (at the time when this article was written), while natural gas cost about Rmb5000/tonne (US$794/tonne). Using LNG can reduce bunker costs by 25% based on market prices (when this article was written).