Multi-fuel: a step towards sustainable shipping

In vessels powered by LNG, sulfur dioxide emissions are close to zero and nitrogen oxides are significantly reduced. Other emissions such as heavy metals, particles and soot are also significantly lower.

Carl Fagergren

“LNG is a fuel that easily meets the requirements of the IMO’s sulfur directive, which entered into force in 2020” says Carl Fagergren, project manager within Ship Design at Wallenius Marine.

Can be mixed in LBG

A major advantage is that LNG can be mixed with, or completely replaced by, liquid biogas (LBG). If a ship is run on LBG alone, the carbon footprint is reduced to almost zero, while the ship has the same low emissions of SOx (sulfur dioxide),NOx (nitrogen oxide) and particles. Liquid biogas is renewable because it is produced by anaerobic decomposition of organic waste, such as sludge from sewage treatment plants, fertilizers, crops and forest or food waste.

“LBG is a good fuel, but the problem is the supply. As the situation is now, we believe in LNG in the transition to more emission-free energy sources, from fossil gas to a larger share of biogas, electricity or wind power” says Carl Fagergren.

Multifuel and batteries for short sea shipping

LNG and LBG take up more cargo space than diesel, which makes it a better choice for shorter routes. Wallenius Marine has designed multifuel vessels for WALLENIUS SOL, a Swedish company which offer an environmentally smart and efficient infrastructure on the Baltic Sea. The vessels will be the world’s largest LNG RoRo, have 1A Super Finnish/Swedish ice class and be prepared for batteries for so-called ‘peak shaving’ and enable a more efficient use of the auxiliary engines.

Per Tunell

“I think we will see an increase in multifuel development with LNG as a transitional fuel. We will also see increased battery operation in short sea shipping, while a return to wind power will be part of the future of deep sea shipping” says Per Tunell, COO at Wallenius Marine.