Significant progress is being made to eradicate methane slip as uptake of the LNG pathway accelerates, and this is worth underlining. With continued collaborative efforts across the value chain, methane slip will be eliminated for all engine technologies within the decade, according to a recent report from SEA-LNG, a multi-sector industry coalition.
Today, 2-stroke diesel cycle engines account for approximately 75% of the LNG-fuelled vessel order book. These engines have effectively eliminated slip already. For low-pressure engine technologies where methane slip remains a challenge, manufacturers have already cut the levels of slip from low-pressure 4-stroke engines by more than 85% over the past 25 years. It is worth noting that methane slip has been eradicated for the similar LNG dual-fuel engine technologies used in the heavy-duty vehicle sector. The science is clear, the technologies exist, and ongoing engineering will soon solve the problem.
Peter Keller, Chairman of SEA-LNG, said: “We congratulate the efforts and initiatives such as the Methane Abatement in Maritime Innovation Initiative (MAMII) and the GREEN RAY project. As LNG continues to gain widespread recognition as the current practical and realistic alternative fuel pathway, it is reassuring to see growing evidence that the challenge of methane slip will be eliminated within this decade.”
There is a growing momentum for LNG as a marine fuel. Clarksons’ data shows that 109 LNG dual fuel vessels have been ordered in 2024 up to June. There are now more than 550 LNG-fuelled vessels in operation, a number expected to double by 2027.
Mr. Keller concluded: “There is universal agreement that the science is understood, and we have the necessary tools and technology to abate methane emissions, it is the final elements of the engineering that are being worked on. This, in combination with the option to transition to net zero emissions through bio-methane and e-methane, provides ship owners and operators with the confidence that vessels ordered today are future-proofed for the next 25 – 30 years. This cannot be said for any other alternative fuel right now.”
SEA-LNG members include FORTIS BC, DNV, Lloyd’s Registry, Matson, MSC, Newport Shipping, the ports of Antwerp-Bruges, Vancouver and Rotterdam, Yang Ming, and ZIM.
For more information on methane slip, see the methane slip fact sheet on SEA-LNG’s website.
(Photo of Peter Keller, Chairman of SEA-LNG)
