STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL OF LNG FUELED SHIP BUNKERING SYSTEM IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel is growing in the maritime industry. This propulsion technology is getting attention due to the features sustainability, emission control, ECA zones, etc. Already, a number of LNG fueled ships are running and more are in order. Besides, the number of LNG-fueled ships are increasing. Chittagong port is the most significant port of Bangladesh. Matarbari will join in near future with some special features with mother vessel handling capacity which will reduce the use of Sri Lanka and Singapore as hub. Chittagong and Matarbari port will be going to handle some of the LNG fueled ships in future. Building an LNG refueling station can be a timely decision for LNG-fueled ships. Very few ports in South-East Asia have LNG refueling facilities are, Singapore, Kochi (India), Yokohama (Japan), Busan (South Korea), and Zhousan (China). In this research, how reliable the LNG bunkering system will be from the perspective of Bangladesh is highlighted. Various aspects are considered such as, trading with ECA areas, advantage of geographical locations, compatibility of ports, technical and operational facts, etc. The study can be used to create an LNG bunkering facility in Bangladesh in future.

Keywords: LNG, ECA, IMO, Bunkering.