The LNG Pathway

Aussies are reputed to be a nation of gamblers who would bet on two flies crawling up a wall. That might be anyone’s race, but when predicting what the most popular alternative fuel will be, the odds seem to be increasingly in favor of LNG.

It seems there is now a clear pathway where previously LNG was considered more of a transition fuel that didn’t have a strong presence in 2050 shipping fuels. New ambitions and new technologies are making it a stronger contender despite the high number of well-to-wake sources of methane slip.

A new report released by Lloyd’s Register this week evaluates the LNG pathway to near-zero net emissions by 2050. It outlines a range of solutions for reducing methane slip.

The report is optimistic about curtailing upstream emissions: “Given societal pressure, LNG producers’ own climate ambitions and the basic common sense of reducing losses of a valuable commodity, methane emission-proof upstream facilities will become increasingly common.”

So, what is the LNG pathway for shipowners?

For the scenarios covered in the report, LNG-fueled vessels will use conventional LNG with MDO as pilot fuel until 2030, when 5% bio-LNG is added to the energy mix. A