Why we use gas to power our vessels

Esther Oritse

Lagos — The management of the Shipping arm of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, has said that the protection of the environment and the move to emit less gas is the reason for the use of gas to fuel its vessels.

Speaking at Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria, AMJON, Managing Director NLNG Shipping Management Limited, NSML, Mr. Ahmed Abdulkadir said that preservation and protection of the environment was a key factor in the move to power NLNG vessels adding that the company adhered to the regulation International Maritime Organization, IMO.

Abdulkadir also said there has been a lot of move towards ensuring environmental sustainability, as well as efficiency and NSML is not left out of the move.

“The industry is really moving away from what is regarded as dirty foil into cleaner fuel and gas. So, our vessels today are done for and essentially from an operational point of view, we use gas to fuel them because they are cleaner and are efficient.

“Again, it is about the cost of doing business, Obviously the EU as well as IMO are driving towards ensuring that shipping is cleaner and much more sustainable. And one of those is the provided mechanisms that the cost of using dirtier fuels is higher than the cost of using cleaner fuels.

“We are in line with those requirements, and we are pushing to ensure that our vessels become more efficient going forward.

Gas and fuel depend on which is more expensive. You know when oil gets to over 100 dollars a barrel, we use the gas and when it is the other way round, we use the oil. But now because of environmental regulations, Gas has a lower carbon content.

“These days we are being penalized for carbon emissions, Europe is now charging us for emitting carbon, and now we have to be a little bit careful. All our vessels now use only gas, and we only use oils when there is an emergency or when we run out of gas, But we always have gas.”