Retrofitting to LNG Propulsion in Marine Traffic

Abstract

Because of the coming emission regulation in 2020 from IMO, alternative fuel sources have started to become an option that shipping companies might need to use. One of these alternative fuels is Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). This thesis wants to explore the idea of retrofitting to LNG and see if it is a possible option for shipping companies to use and why. This fuel is nothing new and ships have already been built to be powered by LNG for some time but not many have retrofitted. Some shipping companies are looking to retrofit their older ships, while others will use scrubbers or run on a low Sulphur fuel to come to terms with the IMO 2020 regulation. The technical information was found through articles, books and interviews with an equipment manufacturer, Shipping Company and a gas expert. The results from our collected information state that a retrofit will never be as effective as a newly built LNG ship. It can be hard to get the money back on the large investment of a retrofit but if the ship that is going to retrofit is constructed as LNG-ready it is much more likely that the retrofit will be profitable due to that the groundwork for a retrofit has already been made.