Images: Skangaspable vessels calling (or hoping to call) ports in Scandinavia and Northern Eu- An inchoate business/logistical model at certain ports? rope and some Asian ports. that seems to be emerging is that of a wa-LNG fueling makes sense where trade In the United States, Jacksonville, Fla., terside liquefaction operation (where gas routes are ? xed and known well in ad- seems to be at the epicenter of the LNG- is cooled and transformed into LNG), vance. Not surprisingly, the ? rst steps fueling map, but Harvey Gulf’s foray tied to a terminal that handles local land-have been taken in environmentally into LNG bunkering happened ? rst in side distribution, on-site marine fuel-hyper-conscious regions. While many the port of Fourchon, La. Multiple ports ing, and trans-loading into LNG barging ports are studying LNG fueling, its ac- along the U.S. West Coast – where po- across a broader distribution network. tual availability is limited. The World litical and regulatory pressure to achieve Importantly, the barges can also be used Ports Climate Initiative of the Interna- so-called ‘zero emission’ operations is for marine bunkering operations. In-tional Association of Ports and Harbors tremendous – are said to be looking at tegral to this new model is a long term (IAPH) notes that LNG bunkering facili- ways to provide fuel for LNG consum- supplier of gas. ties are already available, or planned, at ing vessels. Existing facilities in the U.S. & Scan-When prices of low sulfur fuels re? ect scarcity, capital investment in scrubbers PANOLIN EALs or in LNG propulsion (slightly more expensive than conventional diesel en-Highest performing Environmentally Acceptable Lubricantsgines) look more attractive, with short-ened payback times and/or increased incremental savings over time. The path towards January 2020 pres-ents many other uncertainties, including whether oil suppliers can (a.) make low sulfur fuels available at strategic bun-kering locations and more importantly Worldwide technology leader in EALs (b.) whether they can produce suf? cient for marine applicationsquantities of low sulfur distillate fuel in the aggregate. For owners choos-t'VMMZTZOUIFUJDoIJHIQFSGPSNBODFing to install scrubbers (after an invest-t$PTUTBWJOHment analysis), there are many questions t3FBEJMZCJPEFHSBEBCMFBDDUP0&$%#about the slope of the installation learn-ing curve, and the ef? cacy of adapting a t7(1DPNQMJBOUlandside technology to the maritime en-t&OWJSPONFOUBMMZGSJFOEMZNJOJNBMMZUPYJDvironment. For owners choosing to build t3FEVDFT$0 emissions2LNG fueled vessels, the most immediate question centers around availability of the fuel itself. It is here that the conun-PANOLIN America Inc.drum of ‘chicken and egg’ suggests that Hoffmann Estates, IL 60169LNG fuel must be available as a pre-Phone 877 889 2975condition for LNG propelled vessels to enter a particular trade lane. Or, instead, www.panolinamerica.comdoes the fuel supply respond to LNG ca-www.marinelink.com 31MR #5 (26-33).indd 31 MR #5 (26-33).indd 31 5/4/2018 3:14:57 PM5/4/2018 3:14:57 PM