DNV GL, Keppel to promote use of LNG as ship fuel

Classification society DNV GL and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) have signed a framework agreement to boost the uptake of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as ship fuel.

DNV GL said on Friday that the agreement was signed with Keppel O&M’s subsidiary Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech).

It covers potential newbuilding projects including LNG bunker vessels, small-scale LNG carriers, and floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) as well as LNG related assets employing battery and hybrid technologies.

Abu Bakar Mohd Nor, managing director of Keppel O&M, said: “We are pleased to partner with DNV GL in developing a suite of LNG related vessels that are ready to meet the needs of the market as the adoption of LNG as ship fuel increases.”

As the first delivery in the agreement, DNV GL will issue an approval in principle (AiP) certificates for two LNG bunker vessel designs from KMDTech. The two designs relate to 7,500 cbm small-scale dual-fueled LNG carriers with bunkering capabilities in Type C-tanks, one of which has hybrid battery propulsion.

“In light of the upcoming IMO 2020 SOx regulations, LNG as a marine fuel is viewed as one of the most viable options for deep-sea shipping. DNV GL’s Maritime Forecast to 2050, part of the research behind the DNV GL Energy Transition Outlook 2018, projects that more than 10 percent of the world’s shipping fleet will be powered by LNG by 2030, compared to less than 0.3 percent in 2019. The report anticipates that LNG powered vessels will make up 23 percent of the world’s fleet by 2050,” DNV GL stated.

Johan Peter Tutturen, business director of gas carriers in DNV GL, said: “One of the objectives of our collaboration with Keppel is to facilitate the increased supply of LNG bunkering infrastructure by being future ready through design approvals of different sizes of LNG bunker vessels, and LNG-related assets such as small-scale LNG carriers and FSRU.”

DNV GL added that the design and collaborative engineering office would be located at KMDTech Singapore, with Keppel O&M’s yards to undertake the project execution.