Statoil Ships Run on Gas...Liquefied Natural Gas That is
Norway's Statoil has called upon shipbuilder Kleven Verft to construct a pair of 309-ft. (94.3-m) supply ships that will run on LNG. The vessels, which are scheduled for completion during 2003, and operated by Statoil, will be contracted from Eidesvik and Møkster Shipping. According to Knut Barland, Statoil's vice president for Environment, the LNG power concept is expected to cut the vessels' nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 85 percent; annual emissions are expected to be lowered by 420 tons. Why would a company knowingly add $6 million to the construction price of a new vessel, and more than $1 million per year in operating costs? The answer is a multi-faceted one, but basically it comes down to environmental responsibility.
Low Emission Ships Aid Statoil
Statoil said savings in acid-rain-causing nitrogen oxide (NOx) from two new low-emitting ships would allow it to meet its NOx emissions reduction targets from one new power station. "We've been given permission to credit these NOx reductions against land-based projects," Knut Barland, vice-president for environment at Statoil said. The North Sea supply ships are small compared to cargo ships, but are so powerful they can be used to drag around oil rigs. They are usually so thirsty for diesel that they pump out as much NOx pollution each day as several thousand cars. But by designing each of them to run on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), gas that has been super-cooled until it condenses as liquid, NOx emissions from the two ships can be cut by 85 percent or 420 tons a year.
