Environmental regulations are forcing shuttle tanker operators to consider alternative fuels and technology
With Riviera Maritime Media’s Shuttle Tanker Webinar Week starting 20 June 2023, how are the environmental indicators introduced by IMO and the addition of shipping to EU Emission Trading System (ETS) adding to the shuttle tanker dilemma?
The question of how to replace reliance on heavy fuel oil with alternative fuels was explained by OSM Maritime Group managing director for Europe, Geir Sekkesæter who was speaking at Riviera’s European Dynamic Positioning Conference, in London, UK, 7 February 2023.
OSM manages four shuttle tankers in Norway, five in Brazil and has two under construction in China for the Brazilian market. Both countries have large fleets of shuttle tankers, mainly due to the wide use of floating production storage and offloading ships in offshore developments.
Introduction of IMO’s carbon intensity index (CII) and energy efficiency index for existing ships (EEXI) will affect the operation of shuttle tankers more than other tankers and commercial ships.
“New environmental regulations hit shuttle tankers quite hard,” said Mr Sekkesæter. “CII is challenging for shuttle tankers.”
CII is calculated on moved goods per tonne-mile. Shuttle tankers spend at least 20% of their working time in one location using dynamic positioning (DP) with high energy consumption, which impacts on their CII.
Mr Sekkesæter also expects the European Union’s ETS to have an impact on shuttle tankers in the future.
“Shuttle tankers have twin- or single-screw propulsion for transits and thrusters for DP. Their hulls are not efficient for long voyages,” said Mr Sekkesæter. “Older vessels will need to undergo energy power limitations, but they need power to remain in DP. Reducing speeds will have minimal influence and DP capabilities will be verified when power is reduced.”
Alternative fuels are needed, which has been covered by classification society DNV, which covers around 70% of the sector. But the emphasis is first and foremost safety, said DNV global segment director tankers Catrine Vestereng at Nor-Shipping, and who is one of the speakers on the Advanced shuttle tanker technology projects in Brazil webinar (22 June, 15:00-15:45 BST).
Brazil is no stranger to alternative fuels, while cars have been running on a sugar cane by-product ethanol mix alternative fuel for years. But the Brazilian shuttle tanker sector is dominated by the need for powerful thrusters, although this doctrine is being challenged in the light of environmental considerations, and alternative propulsion technologies.
LNG is the current alternative fuel of choice for the shuttle tanker sector, but methanol is another option.
New technologies in the shuttle tanker sector include volatile organic compound (VOC) recovery which has been introduced on shuttle tankers in the North Sea.
At Nor-Shipping 2023, VOC and shuttle tankers were in the news with ABS and Vaholmen VOC Recovery announcing a letter of intent for the development of a VOC recovery vessel to capture emissions released during the loading of crude oil cargoes.
The vessel, which will be built to ABS class, is being developed in close co-operation with Wärtsilä Gas Solutions and Ulstein Design Solutions to an Ulstein SX219 design or will be retrofit installed on a vessel suitable for the purpose, typically a large PSV.
The Vaholmen unit will operate on dynamic positioning close to the loading tanker for capturing and processing the VOC generated on the tanker through a hose connected to the tanker’s vapour return manifold.
Hear and see more about the latest technology at the shuttle tanker webinar Shuttle Tanker Webinar Week starting 20 June 2023. Register your interest here.
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