SNG: Synthetic gas for the maritime transition
A viable path to decarbonization
MAN Energy Solutions is driving the maritime energy transition with technologies for low-carbon fuels, including green engines and retrofits. Our synthetic natural gas (SNG) solutions offer you a clear path to low-carbon shipping.
From HFO to LNG to SNG
Most of the world's ships run on heavy fuel oil (HFO). The climate crisis has made it essential to find low-carbon alternatives. In recent years, liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become the alternative of choice, but it still a fossil fuel that produces greenhouse gases (GHG). SNG is a new low-carbon alternative. SNG is chemically the same as the main combustible constituent of LNG, so it can used as a direct replacement or blended with LNG, depending on the supply.
SNG as maritime fuel
SNG is optimally suited for the two- and four-stroke dual-fuel engines in MAN’s range and ideal for ships that already run on LNG and aim to save additional emissions. Achieving fuel supply aboard ship is straightforward enough with the right equipment – as with LNG. The new gaseous fuel has to be held at cryogenic temperatures prior to bunkering (-162°C). However, an already established LNG infrastructure can also be used for fueling with SNG.
Reference case: ElbBLUE
World’s first use of SNG in commercial shipping
In September 2021, the 1,036-TEU vessel ElbBLUE, which had been retrofitted with a four-stroke MAN 51/60 dual-fuel engine in 2017, also became the first container ship worldwide to use climate-neutral SNG on a commercial trip. The ship replaced approximately 50% of its bunkered gas fuel with SNG from the Kiwi AG plant in Wertle, Germany. The test proved that any LNG-retrofitted ship can run on carbon-neutral fuels generated by Power-to-X technology.
Read moreManaging Methane Slip
Does the issue of methane slip affect the climate benefits of LNG as an engine fuel for marine applications? Download this paper and find out more about the various countermeasures the company has taken for this purpose.
Synthetic natural gas (SNG) can be derived from fossil fuels and biomass via gasification and methanation processes. SNG can also be produced by, for example, renewable or surplus energy in power-to-gas systems. Biogases are produced from biomass and waste products – and the resulting liquefied fuels can be referred to as BioLNG or LBG (liquefied biogas) and sometimes LBM (liquefied biomethane).
Main advantages:
- SNG and Biogas have the same low NOx, SOx and particulate matter emissions as LNG, but they can be CO2 neutral depending on the feedstock and conversion energy source
- Depending on the source fuel, SNG and Biogas can be a carbon-neutral substitute for fossil fuels
- SNG and Biogas can be blended with LNG to gradually reduce the CO2 footprint
- Considered to be excellent bridging fuels during the ongoing energy transition
Focus areas:
- The availability of SNG and Biogas as bunker fuel
- Increase of production capacities Read more
Solutions / technologies by MAN Energy Solutions:
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Other future fuels
Related news
Matson Takes Up Option for ME-GI Retrofit
Matson Navigation Company has confirmed that it will convert the main engine aboard its container ship, ‘Kaimana Hila’, from an MAN B&W S90ME-C10.5 unit to a dual-fuel ME-GI unit capable of running on LNG. In doing so, it is exercising an option contained in a contract it signed with MAN Energy Solutions in June 2022 to perform an identical conversion on a sister ship, the ‘Daniel K. Inouye’. The Kaimana Hila was built in 2019 and MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, will perform the 3,600 teu vessel’s retrofit.
Klaus Rasmussen, Head of Projects and PVU Sales, MAN PrimeServ, said: “This order is the latest example in an increasing trend of owners choosing dual-fuel retrofits for their existing vessels in service to achieve fleet-transformation goals while simultaneously gaining benefits in terms of upcoming regulations such as CII and EEXI. Retrofitting an MAN B&W engine to dual-fuel running is straightforward as our standard, electronically-controlled diesel engines are constructed as ‘dual-fuel ready’ and therefore readily retrofittable. Such retrofits offer a viable pathway to shipowners that wish to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050.”
“This will be the third vessel Matson is retrofitting with dual-fuel LNG capability. Each retrofit is a meaningful step toward achieving our corporate sustainability goals to achieve a 40% reduction in Scope 1 greenhouse gas fleet emissions by 2030 and net-zero Scope 1 GHG emissions by 2050,” said Capt. Jack Sullivan, Matson’s Senior Vice President, Vessel Operations & Engineering.
The option take-up comes on the heels of the recent announcement by Matson of the construction of three LNG-powered newbuilds that will also be driven by ME-GI engines.
Dual-Fuel retrofits – a valid decarbonisation pathway
MAN Energy Solutions continually develops class-leading technologies that enable customers to meet environmental and commercial goals, as well as today and tomorrow’s regulatory standards. Since the first two-stroke ME-GI (LNG) retrofit in 2015, the company has built an impressive list of references and expanded its portfolio of dual-fuel retrofits to also include fuels like LPG and methanol.
Retrofitting a dual-fuel engine is one of the most effective ways to derive greater efficiency and profitability from a shipping fleet. As such, a dual-fuel conversion delivers the fuel flexibility to take advantage of optimal fuel prices; it can also help vessels comply with IMO emission targets and extend their operational lifetimes to bring a greater return on investments.
About Matson
Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services. Matson provides a vital lifeline of ocean freight transportation services to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia. Matson also operates premium, expedited services from China to Long Beach, California, provides service to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific, and operates an international export service from Dutch Harbor to Asia. The Company's fleet of owned and chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson’s transportation network throughout North America and Asia. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, freight consolidation, supply chain management, and freight forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com.
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Contact
Nils Søholt
Trade Press Marine
Group Communications & MarktingMAN Energy SolutionsTeglholmsgade 412450 Copenhagen SVDenmark
nils.soeholt@man-es.com t +45 33 85 26 69Available languages
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