Demand for low greenhouse gas (GHG) methane is expected to grow in the coming decades as the expanding LNG‑capable fleet faces increasingly stringent emissions requirements. But its long-term viability as marine fuel
Demand for low greenhouse gas (GHG) methane is expected to grow in the coming decades as the expanding LNG‑capable fleet faces increasingly stringent emissions requirements. But its long-term viability as marine fuel depends on regulatory clarity, closing the supply gap, and securing volumes against competing demand.
With around 800 LNG‑capable vessels currently in operation, 600 more on order, existing bunkering infrastructure, decades of operational experience, and well-established international safety standards, the fleet is already technically mature.
DNV’s latest white paper “Methane in Shipping: LNG‑fueled ships and the switch to low‑GHG methane” finds that low-GHG methane (i.e. bio-methane and e-methane), which is chemically identical to LNG but produced with a far smaller climate footprint, can benefit from this existing infrastructure.
Low‑GHG methane is fully compatible with LNG engines and tanks, making it a true drop-in fuel for LNG-capable ships. Existing LNG bunkering infrastructure is also compatible with liquefied low-GHG methane. Over the past five years, this infrastructure has seen significant improvements and now covers all major bunker hubs along key global trade routes.
While the technology is mature, low-GHG methane still has some hurdles to overcome. For example, the lack of a globally harmonized rule set on permitted
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