Ελληνικα
LNG is the fuel of the future for ships, Cyprus Transport minister, Marios Demetriades told the “LNG Fuelling the Future of the Eastern Mediterranean” conference in Limassol, Cyprus. Demetriades said that till recently reference to LNG for shipping was only viewed as cargo on ships intended for shore use. «Now we can confidently speak about LNG as the fuel of the future for ships as well.» Demetriades pointed out the European Union (EU) promotes the use of LNG as main fuel for the shipping industry, as well as the development of LNG bunkering infrastructure, as is evident by EU’s co-financing the Poseidon Med II project. «LNG is a potential solution for meeting the environmental requirement as its cleaner burning meets all current and future emission standards,» he said. But he noted LNG as a bunker fuel faces a number of challenges, which, among others, include the lack of bunkering facilities, the investment required in ships propulsion and fuel handling systems, the potential loss of cargo space on some types of ships due to space required for the LNG tanks and the implementation of comprehensive, efficient and uniform safety regulations. Despite the challenges, the minister said, the LNG as a ship fuel has great potential as fuel of choice for the future and feasibility studies related to the LNG as an alternative fuel for shipping are valuable and bring together top experts from the marine, energy and financial sectors to design an integrated LNG value chain and establish a well-functioning and sustainable LNG market essential. He said he was pleased by the involvement of the Cyprus Ports Authority and private Cypriot companies in this pioneering project.
source: NEWSFRONT