Going for gas

LAST week, 14 big names in the shipping sector met in London to to accelerate the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. Carnival Corporation, DNV GL, Engie, ENN, GE, GTT, Lloyd's Register, Mitsubishi Corporation, NYK Line, Port of Rotterdam, Qatargas, Shell, TOTE Inc. and Wärtsilä were the 14 who got together to unveil a cross-industry initiative called SEA\LNG.

Explaining the coalition's objective, Peter Keller, chairman of SEA\LNG and executive vice-president of TOTE Inc, said: "We recognise the need to work closely with key players across the value chain, including shipping companies, classification societies, ports, major LNG suppliers, downstream companies, infrastructure providers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to ensure an understanding of the environmental and performance benefits of LNG as a marine transport fuel. SEA\LNG aims to address market barriers and help transform the use of LNG as a marine fuel into a global reality."

Now it should be made clear that this is a separate body from the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), a new non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up to promote safety and best practices in the use of gas as a marine fuel. Confusingly, the organisations share several members.