REPORT With the need to address the environmental impact of passenger shipping becoming more pressing as the threat of climate change increases, many passenger ship operators are exploring how they can use alternative fuels. LNG currently presents the most viable alternative to diesel fuels, producing less emissions while remaining costeffective. As a result, the upcoming cruise and ferry order books have gradually been filled with new LNG-powered vessels, increasing the demand for wider availability of alternative fuels. In order to keep up with demand for new fuels and accelerate the journey towards greener shipping, it is crucial that other stakeholders in the global maritime industry invest to provide the necessary infrastructure. Among the stakeholders aiming to help achieve this transition is Flensburger SchiffbauGesellschaft (FSG), which has made developing these innovations a central objective in future research and development plans. “As a shipyard, we have ambitious goals to become a major pillar of the energy transition,” says Philipp Maracke, FSG’s managing director. “FSG has already positioned itself as an innovation leader for low-emission ship designs in the past. Building on our references and expertise, we want to be a driver when it comes to the energy transition in shipping.” With this aim, FSG is taking part in a project to construct three LNG bunker vessels in collaboration with ship management company Nordic Hamburg and consulting firm WesMar. Nordic has received funding of around €62 million ($66 million) for the three vessels from the German government, with grant approvals handed over at the FSG shipyard in Flensburg, Germany. “The maritime sector’s energy transition and its associated switch to alternative fuels are a huge task,” says Refuelling for a greener future Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft will construct three LNG bunkering ships to increase the availability of alternative fuels in European ports, as part of its goal to drive the transition to a greener shipping industry 124
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=