The quick development in set up LNG storage tank capability indicate a possible boom in LNG for bigger vessels over the coming years and also might note the begin of a brand-new period in ship gas, according Martin Wold, head of the Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform at DNV GL– Maritime.

“There are now 163 LNG-fuelled ships in operation and a further 155 ships on order,” stated Wold at a press occasion at today’s Nor-Shipping seminar “Order intake for LNG-fuelled vessels has remained steady for several years now at around 40 ships per year. However, in 2019 we have already passed 40 new orders in the first five months, which could be a sign that the pace for LNG fuel investments is picking up.”

Launched in 2018, the AFI system is an open system for aiding ship proprietors and also various other maritime stakeholders keep an eye on the international uptake of different gas and also innovations and also analyze the most effective choices for their very own vessels. The system covers LNG, LPG and also methanol, in addition to exhaust minimizing innovations such as scrubbers and also batteries. So much over 2,000 customers have actually enrolled in the system.

According to Wold, the variety of vessels with scrubbers stood at 3,553, however this might be greater as some suppliers did not record orders often.

“The boom of 2018 seems to have leveled off somewhat, but new orders keep coming in. There are more than 2,000 installations reported to be completed in 2019, which would mean by the start date of the ‘sulphur cap’ almost 3,000 scrubber vessels will be in operation,” he stated. “However, due to the complexity of scrubber retrofits, we expect that not all of these vessels will be on the water by 2020.”