Synthetic fuel could help scrubber uptake
Synthetic Fuel Oil (SFO) developer Quadrise Fuels International plc (Quadrise) has said that its Multiphase Superfine Atomized Residue (MSAR) SFO product could help with the uptake of scrubbers, Ship & Bunker reports.
MSAR fuel is a proprietary water in hydrocarbon based emulsion fuel that the company says can cost 5 to 50 percent less than traditional fuel oil, bunker oil, or natural gas.
Currently, Emissions Control Area (ECA) regulations such as the North American ECA that came into effect on August 1, 2012, specify the maximum sulfur content of marine fuel that may be used within the zone.
But Quadrise say that as there is continuing discussion on the feasibility of conversion to ultra-low sulfur distillate fuels, which is currently one options available to ship operators when ECA regulations tighten in 2015, "the smart money appears to favour an emissions treatment approach rather than a fuel quality solution."
Adoption of scrubbers could mean both an initial retrofit cost and subsequent operational cost for ship operators, and Quadrise say that its SFO could offset that cost by being priced below fuel oil, as well as it burning at a lower temperature, which "typically reduces NOx by at least 20%."
"If the emissions approach is adopted by regulators, it is probable that authorities may consider scrubber based compliance also for the Emissions Control Areas," it said.
"Should this happen the Marine MSAR option could prospectively eliminate the need to switch to marine diesel fuel at a 50% cost premium when entering ECAs, and could enable ferry operators within ECAs to revert to lower cost fuel plus SO2 scrubbers."
Use of liquified natural gas (LNG) as a bunker fuel is also an option for ship operators looking to meet current and future emissions regulations, although there is currently no real LNG bunkering infrastructure yet in place.
A recent study by Lloyd's Register (LR) said LNG bunkering is likely to be adopted for short sea shipping in ECAs over the next 13 years, and Singapore, Rotterdam, and Gothenburg all said recently that they will have LNG bunkering in place for 2015.