Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2013)

6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? JULY 2013 One of the true pleasures of being so long-tenured in this position (besides looking back at my editorial picture of 1992 and thinking I look like I?m 10), is gaining invaluable perspective on techno-logical trends as they come, evolve and eventually live, mutate or die. (For example, I can now safely surmise that the ?Hinge Ship,? so proudly and loudly touted on the cover of sister-publication MarineNews many years ago, will not be seen on your waterways anytime soon!)As we personally and professionally are perpetually and with increased frequency bombarded with insights on the ?latest and greatest,? age and experience have conÞ rmed that time and trial are truly the invaluable mea- sures by which to gauge a new technology?s merit. I have written and you have read many times that the maritime industry is conservative. In thinking on the conservative nature of the industry ? and as a native my Þ rst 18 years of Cincinnati ? I often think of one of my favorite quotes attributed to Mark Twain : ?When the End of the World Comes, I Want To Be in Cincinnati. It Is Always Ten Years Behind the Times? Not So FastLately though, I?m not as certain that our industry is so conservative. Yes, vessel owners tend to stick to the tried and true, lamenting new rules which demand new technology, new investment. But point to an industry that does not lament being told how and when to spend its money. Yes, there are many technologies ? from modern marine communications to navigation and propulsion innovations ? that have proven to help companies run a more efÞ cient, cost-effective and dynamic operation. But as industry lead- ers upgrade their ß eets to attract and retain top talent and to ensure its ves- sels are operated safely and efÞ ciently, the rest tend to follow. Today, the ?hot? topic is gas, or more accurately LNG as marine fuel. Across our four print titles, our seven websites and three apps, not a day goes by without someone, somewhere writing on the present status and future prospects of LNG in the maritime market.There have been many varied proclamations on how fast and how far LNG will penetrate the maritime market, and readers of these pages surely are familiar with the LNG arguments on both sides of the fence. To recap, the use of LNG addresses the fast tightening rules on emissions from ships and boats, and in the long run it appears that this fuel source will be considerably cheaper. On the ß ip side, there are a dearth of bunker- ing facilities globally, and while LNG has proven to be stable and reliable, the rule books on the safe handling of LNG onboard marine vessels, not to mention potential safety in ports, are literally being written.To get some answers I have the pleasure of direct and ready access to most every major power supply company in the world, including MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä (to name two of many; these two spring to mind simply because of the recent nature of the conversations). In speaking to both recently, speci Þ cally John Hatley and Frank Donnelly of Wärtsilä North America and Thomas S. Knudsen of MAN Diesel & Turbo, it is crys- tal clear that both companies view the evolution of LNG as marine fuel in fact a revolution, analogous to the conversion from steam to diesel so many years ago. The rapidity of transformation is anyone?s guess, but the marine industry today casts a cautious eye on 2020 as a pivotal year for stringent new mandates on fuel quality and emission levels.This month you will Þ nd two features on LNG, starting on page 14 with insights from MAN Diesel & Turbo?s Knudsen, who addresses in a straight- forward manner the successes to date and hurdles to overcome, as well as details on the company?s big ME-GI event recently in Japan; and on page 18 where long-tenured contributor Dennis L. Bryant discusses how the bar- riers are falling.SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Subscription Information  in U.S.: One full year (12 issues) $84.00; two years (24 issues) $125.00  Rest of the World: One full year (12 issues) $110.00; two years $190.00 including postage and handling. For subscription information: Email: [email protected]  www.marinelink.com Tel: (212) 477-6700  Fax: (212) 254-6271 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, 850 Montauk Hwy., #867, Bayport, NY 11705. Maritime Reporter is published monthly by Maritime Activity Reports Inc. Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing of ces. ISSN-0025-3448USPS-016-750No. 7 Vol. 75 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News (ISSN # 0025-3448) is published monthly by Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rates at New York, NY 10199 and additional mailing ofÞ ces. Postmaster send notiÞ cation (Form 3579) regarding undeliverable magazines to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, 850 Montauk Hwy., #867, Bayport, NY 11705. Publishers are not responsible for the safekeeping or return of editorial material. © 2013 Maritime Activity Reports, Inc All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. Check out our Websites: www.marinelink.com / www.maritimeprofessional.com / www.maritimepropulsion.com www.maritimejobs.com / www.seadiscovery.com / www.maritimeequipment.com www.marineelectronics.com / www.yachtingjournal.com / www.maritimetoday.com 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 477-6700; fax: (212) 254-6271 Founder: John J. O?Malley 1905 - 1980 Charles P. O?Malley 1928 - 2000 Download our AppiPhone & AndroidEDITORIAL Gas? It?s the Question & the Answer Gregory R. Trauthwein, Editor & Associate Publisher [email protected] #7 (1-9).indd 6MR #7 (1-9).indd 67/2/2013 12:04:09 PM7/2/2013 12:04:09 PM