Lloyd’s Register makes case for LNG as cruise industry’s transition fuel
In the United Kingdom, Lloyd’s Register has published a report positioning LNG as the most mature and immediately deployable alternative fuel for the cruise sector, with 30 LNG-capable cruise ships already in service and 29 more on order among vessels over 20,000 gross tons.
The report identifies methane slip as LNG’s most pressing liability. Unburned methane carries a global warming potential 28 times that of CO2, potentially eroding LNG’s emissions advantage. Engine makers have cut methane slip by 75% over 25 years, and onboard abatement technologies including catalysts and plasma torches are moving toward commercial trials.
The longer path runs through bio-LNG and e-LNG, which Lloyd’s Register models as cost-competitive with methanol and ammonia pathways to 2050. Onboard carbon capture, which the report says costs 30% less when applied to LNG than to conventional fuels, adds further long-term headroom.
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
