In a first, synthetic gas tried as a shipping fuel

Danish vessel company Unifeeder received a cargo of a synthetic form of liquefied natural gas for trials of a fuel that developers said is carbon-neutral, the company announced September 29.

The Unifeeder-operated vessel EldBlue was fuelled with a synthetic LNG at a facility in Werlte, Germany. Synthetic forms of natural gas can be sourced from coal or biomass. The synthetic gas in this trial, a first, came from the industrial scale power-to-gas facility in Werlte.

“The liquefied SNG, produced at Kiwi’s Power-to-Gas facility in Werlte, Germany is a synthetic form of LNG that is carbon-neutral and generated from 100% renewable energy,” Unifeeder explained.

Shippers under a protocol from the International Maritime Organisation are called on to lower harmful exhaust emissions using low-sulphur fuels, LNG or by installing cleaning systems called scrubbers. The European Commission, for its part, is considering a mandate that shippers reduce their emissions to net-zero by 2050.

EldBlue is expected to save about 56 tons of carbon emissions for its upcoming voyage to St. Petersburg by using a 1:1 blend of SNG and LNG, compared with running entirely on just LNG.

If the trial is successful, Unifeeder said SNG could be another component in the industry’s efforts to reduce carbon output.

“A successful trial voyage will complement our environmental initiatives across Europe, such as our investment in more efficient rail and barge inland services, as well as our ongoing sustainability ambitions at our terminals across Europe,” CEO Jesper Kristensen said.

Photo courtesy of Unifeeder