LNG, bioLNG, ammonia, methanol and fuel cells are all advancing in the container ship market
LNG is still a major fuel for the container ship market on the way to net zero – and ramping up are ammonia, methanol, hydrogen and fuel cells.
LNG as a fuel is currently state-of-the-art within the container shipping sector and is set to continue to play a significant role. TGE Marine Gas Engineering senior sales manager Dieter Hilmes comments, “LNG is the cleanest fossil fuel which is available worldwide and it will play an important role as a bridging fuel towards fully CO2-neutral fuels.”
He points out almost all major players in the container segment have LNG-powered newbuilds on order.
TGE Marine offers LNG fuel gas supply systems for low- and high-pressure main engines and all other consumers on board (including auxiliary engines and DF-boilers). They are designed for maximum uptime with a high degree of redundancy as all pertinent system components are spared and all particularly susceptible parts are protected with a sophisticated filter concept.
The company also provides fuel containment systems, such as IMO type-C tanks up to a capacity of up 16,000 m³. The Germany-headquartered company has designed and delivered more than 450 type-C tanks in various shapes.
Mr Hilmes says, “TGE Marine’s service team can deploy remote access tools to detect faults at an early stage and hence take action before major problems occur.” In addition, TGE Marine is developing an extensive training programme for the ships’ crews and inspectors.
The company’s recently developed Recondenser System ensures full recondensation of excess boil-off gas (BOG), which is subsequently routed to the HP fuel gas pumps before being consumed by the main HP engine. The system comes with two-stage BOG compression, enabling a recondensation rate equivalent to up to 20% of the main engine’s overall fuel consumption.
Mr Hilmes comments, “The system guarantees BOG can be used as fuel when the ship is sailing and therefore results in an optimised balance of capex and opex while taking ship operational requirements into consideration.”
Additional benefits of using the TGE Marine Recondenser System include boosting energy efficiency by using a shaft generator, thus eliminating the need to operate the auxiliary engines during the ship voyage and consequently reducing the operating hours of these engines. By this measure, CO2 emissions and methane slip can be reduced considerably.
Aside from LNG, the interest in ammonia and methanol as marine fuels are rapidly developing, and Mr Hilmes believes they will play an important future role.
TGE Marine is primarily involved in developing ammonia fuel supply systems for the maritime sector. “We are early movers here,” Mr Hilmes says.
Highlighting the importance of ammonia, he says, “Ammonia is considered one of the most important fuels for decarbonising shipping.”
He underlines not only will the first ammonia combustion engines be brought to market in the next few years, but ammonia is already handled as cargo in many ports, allowing for the development of bunker hubs. These factors mean ships using ammonia as fuel could be launched before the end of this decade.
TGE Marine is playing a leading role here, as it is delivering 12 fuel gas supply systems and multi-fuel gas tanks for the new Aurora class of Oslo-based shipowner Höegh Autoliners.
The Aurora-class vessels will be the largest and most environmentally friendly car carriers ever built, with DNV’s ammonia- and methanol-ready notation ’Ti’. They are the first in the PCTC segment capable of being converted to operate on zero-carbon ammonia with a moderate future investment.
These multi-fuel gas containment systems can receive LNG, ammonia and methanol – a concept that could of course be transferred to container ships.
Mr Hilmes says, “This multi-fuel solution allows ship operators to maintain maximum flexibility. It allows them to provide solutions to a changing market environment.”
TGE Marine’s focuses include the optimal integration of the containment system and fuel processing systems in the hull to maximise cargo space, an emphasis on low opex costs, and a safety system that considers the toxicity of ammonia.
A major challenge to the use of ammonia is the lack of class and IMO rules for ammonia fuel feed systems. But some progress is being made.
Mr Hilmes says, “TGE Marine works closely with the relevant committees and the industry partners to bring in these fuels.”
In addition, the first project-specific designs for various applications with ammonia feed systems developed, eg for container ships, bulkers and PCTCs or for MGCs and VLGCs. In this context, an approval in principle for a TGE Marine configuration was granted.
Mr Hilmes sums up, “It is essential the specific fuel feed system requirements – especially those to be upgraded for the future use of alternative fuels – should be taken into account in the early stages of the ship’s design.”
BioLNG advances
BioLNG is also advancing within the container ship sector – while LNG continues to hold a strong position, according to GTT commercial vice president David Colson. He explains LNG holds a good share in the container ship market, representing around 30% of 7,000-TEU newbuilding orders in 2023.
He adds, “But methanol challenged LNG last year, briefly matching its market share due to the rise in LNG prices resulting from the Russia-Ukraine crisis. However, the recognition that green methanol will not be available in abundance in the medium term, coupled with a return to more reasonable LNG spot prices should affect the attractiveness of methanol for shipowners.”
He singles out the importance of the development of bioLNG, as although still in its early stages, it is “steadily gaining momentum”, including in modest proportions when blended with fossil LNG.
Mr Colson comments, “Its prospects appear promising, especially considering its potential advantages within carbon offset mechanisms. It is important to emphasise bioLNG will play a vital role in ensuring compliance with regulations, such as FuelEU in 2035, for dual-fuel container vessels. Within this framework, bioLNG stands out as the most efficient and environmentally friendly use of biomethane, boasting a 93% efficiency in liquefying biomethane, compared with a 65% conversion rate associated with biomethanol production.”
Elsewhere, ammonia-fuelled vessels continue to be a popular concept among shipowners, says Mr Colson, despite a lack of significant momentum in demand. He adds, “However, in response to our clients’ evolving needs and to provide greater flexibility in the future, GTT is now offering ammonia compatibility.”
GTT has received orders for 13 container ships equipped with membrane tanks and ammonia readiness notations for these tanks.
Singling out recent developments for GTT, he says, “Numerous advances have been made to enhance the competitiveness and flexibility of our LNG tanks. These include initiatives such as minimising the weight and footprint of the pump tower, increasing the design pressure for extended holding periods, introducing GTT’s patented Recycool system for more economical management of the boiling rate, and ensuring the compatibility of GTT’s technology with ammonia and methanol to cater to the diverse requirements of our valued customers.”
Indeed, GTT’s recently launched Recycool operates on a recondensation principle, using otherwise wasted cold energy from LNG directed to the main engine to cool and recondense the natural boil-off gas.
“This innovative approach proves to be significantly more cost-effective in terms of both capex and opex compared with high-pressure compressors or subcoolers. Not only is Recycool more integrated and efficient than other condensers available on the market, but it also consumes less energy and emits less CO2. The initial implementation of Recycool skids on recently delivered container ships has given promising results and exceeds the guaranteed performance levels,” says Mr Colson.
Fuel cells for feeder
Elsewhere, hydrogen fuel cells are gearing up and entering the container ship sector. Nedstack Fuel Cell Technology has developed proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell units to generate up to 1 MW following a long-term research programme. Multiple-MW PEM fuel cells have been deployed in different projects in the past.
The company’s latest project involved installing three class-approved PemGen 300 fuel cells on Future Proof Shipping’s H2 Barge 1 at Holland Shipyards under Lloyd’s Register’s rules for commercial operations. This barge has been sailing since May 2023, said Nedstack chief commercial officer Jogchum Bruinsma.
Speaking at Riviera Maritime Media’s Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference in Bergen, Norway, 17-19 October last year, he explained that in addition, a PemGen 600 fuel-cell module was installed on a Boskalis-operated dredger in 2023 to demonstrate zero emissions during operations. This is a 6.0-m unit with 2.2 m width, 2.9 m height and maximum hydrogen consumption of 40 kg/hr to generate 600 kWe.
This deployment followed the installation of a PemGen 120 maritime system on Viking Neptune cruise ship in November 2022, which produces 120 kW.
Nedstack is part of the SH2ipDrive project, developing next-generation maritime fuel cells with €25M (US$26M) of European Union funding and 25 partners looking to develop a hydrogen ecosystem, supply chain and safe bunkering of hydrogen carriers.
“We are working on new PEM fuel cells and working towards new-generation systems for maritime,” said Mr Bruinsma. “It is about getting the right data, integration, testing and ship design, whether it is for newbuildings or retrofits, which are as important as newbuildings.”
Nedstack is also preparing to build a gigawatt factory to mass manufacture fuel cells in the Netherlands in preparation for an expected ramp up in demand for newbuild and retrofit projects.
This new generation of PEM fuel cells in 300-kW module takes up around 1.5 m2 of space, is 2.1 m high and weighs 650-700 kg.
“We expect this will be ready in the market in Q1 2025,” said Mr Bruinsma. This module includes all the controls and safety requirements – stack cooling and gas-tight hydrogen enclosure. The air treatment is outside of the module for advanced modular integration.
Methanol charge
Methanol is also driving momentum within the box ship sector, with Maersk’s methanol dual-fuel newbuilds leading the way. In January, the company welcomed its largest methanol dual-fuel newbuild yet: 16,200-TEU Ane Maersk. This comes four months after AP Moller-Maersk named its very first methanol-fuelled vessel, 2,100-TEU container feeder vessel Laura Maersk.
Ane Maersk is the first of Maersk’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels that will be delivered between 2024 and 2025. In early February, it will enter service on the Asia-Europe routes.
"This series of vessels will have a transformative impact on our ambition to progress on our industry-leading climate ambitions. It is a visual and operational proof of our commitment to a more sustainable industry. With Ane Mærsk and its sister vessels, we are expanding our offer to the growing number of businesses aiming to reduce emissions from their supply chains," Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc says in a statement.
Other ships are also following in this lead. A2B-online is moving forward with its methanol electric newbuilds. BMA Technology has partnered with A2B-online and Sedef Shipyard to construct two 650-TEU container vessels. BMA Technology has provided a suite of electrical solutions to power A2B-online’s vessels including electric drives, motors, LI-ion batteries, low-voltage switchboards and an alarm monitoring and control system. These essential components are at the heart of A2B-online’s two container vessels, each driven by 3.2-MW propulsion power.
BMA Technology business development director Hakkı Yigit Bayrak emphasised the importance of this partnership, saying, "Our collaboration with A2B-online and Sedef Shipyard is a testament to our commitment to sustainable maritime solutions. We are proud to be part of this vision, which showcases our dedication to reducing environmental impact through cutting-edge electrical technologies. The number of projects in which we have implemented these and similar solutions has now reached seven ships."
The vessels have been designed to incorporate technologies aimed at drastically reducing CO2 emissions. The box feeders are expected to achieve emissions reductions of up to 95%.
One of the key features of these vessels is their multi-fuel methanol-electric propulsion system. This technology significantly minimises emissions, ensuring cleaner and more environmentally friendly maritime operations. The vessels are also equipped with 1.5-MWh battery capacity, enabling them to operate emissions-free during harbour and inland water operations.
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