Page 59: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2013)

www.marinelink.com 59was ordering two new LNG-fueled containerships for its Jones Act ß eet from NASSCO, as well as convert- ing two of their existing ships to LNG, citing a 40% increase in fuel costs to meet the ECA requirements. Interlake Steamship Corporation has likewise an-nounced a plan to convert its Great Lakes ß eet to LNG, and Rolls Royce announced at Norshipping a contract with Bergen Tankers to convert a product tanker to LNG engines. DNV has reportedly given approval in principle to the design of an LNG-fueled 14,000-teu containership in a joint industry project involving Dae-woo Shipbuilding, CMA-CGM and Bureau Veritas. A CMA-CGM spokesman was quoted in the press as saying the Þ rst ship could be built within Þ ve years, assuming the ready availability of LNG bunkering. Fuel suppliers and ports are also working to meet the demand for LNG bunkering facilities. Shell is said to working to provide LNG fueling terminals in the Great Lakes to support the converted Interlake ships. Other companies, including Maersk Lines Ltd. and Crow-ley Maritime are also working to develop bunkering infrastructure on a larger scale. Stockholm has dem- onstrated successful ship-to-ship LNG bunkering, and Antwerp recently bunkered an LNG-powered barge by truck. Antwerp is also said to be putting out tenders for an LNG bunkering vessel. While ship-to-ship LNG bunkering may be the best short-term solution, there is a need for shore-based bunkering facilities at major seaports around the world to sustain widespread adop-tion of LNG as the marine fuel-of-choice. Focus on Fleet OptimizationThe 2013 SHIPPINGInsight Fleet Optimization Conference will provide a forum for examining the challenges, solutions and best practices for reducing operating costs and improving ship efÞ ciency. The second-annual conference will take place in Stam-ford, Connecticut, October 22-24, 2013. The agenda includes a solid list of moderators and speakers, in-cluding senior executives from 15 major shipowner companies. The keynote speakers are Anthony Chi- arello, president and CEO of Tote, Inc., and Yasushi Nakamura, executive vice president of ClassNK. Given the intense industry focus on the potential beneÞ ts of converting to LNG, a dedicated LNG workshop is being added to the Fleet Optimization Conference this year. It will take place immediately following the main conference, and is open to all registered delegates. The workshop will take the form of a less formal round-table discussion includ-ing shipowners, classiÞ cation societies, regulatory bodies, engine manufacturers, bunkering companies and other industry experts to take a deeper look into the issues, challenges, solutions and best practices for LNG propulsion. To view the complete agenda and register for the 2013 Fleet Optimization Conference, go to www.shippinginsight.com Anthony Chiarello, President and CEO of Tote, Inc., is the featured Keynote Speaker at the SHIPPINGInsight Fleet Optimization Conference, October 22-24, 2013.MR #8 (58-65).indd 59MR #8 (58-65).indd 598/1/2013 2:48:41 PM8/1/2013 2:48:41 PM