SGMF guidance brings clarity to LNG bunkering operations

摘要

With more than 800 LNG-fuelled ships in the global fleet, the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) has issued a technical guidance note (TGN) supporting best practices for filling and loading LNG fuel tanks. Called LNG Fuel Tanks - Loading/ Filling Limits and Level Instrumentation: Considerations and Recommendations, the TGN provides clarity for those partaking in, monitoring or managing LNG bunkering operations. "Our overall purpose was to provide effective guidance on the rules for filling and loading and to explain why the loading limit may vary for each bunkering operation due to LNG temperature, pressure and composition," said SGMF general manager Mark Bell. "The crew can then maximise the amount of fuel that can be safely loaded by following established bunkering procedures and using the available instrumentation," he added. The inherent properties of LNG, in particular its cryogenic nature and behaviour, differ significantly from those of conventional marine fuels. This means the quantity of fuel that can safely be loaded into fuel tanks on gas-fuelled vessels will depend not only on the size and capacity of the tank itself but also on the temperature and pressure of the LNG to be bunkered.