Gasoil to present major alternative to heavy fuel oil in ECAs after 2015 - expert
With introduction of new restrictions on sulphur content of max. 0.1% in marine fuel in 2015, major demand will fall on marine gasoil as an alternative to heavy fuel oil, IAA PortNews journalist cites Anatoly Belov, Chairman of Bominflot Estonia BoD, as saying at the 6th Russian forum “Current State and Prospects for Development of Russian Bunker Services Market”.
According to him, scrubber technology has not been completely worked out and it is a “solution of one problem which entails another one”.
As for LNG, the transfer of vessels and bunkering infrastructure to it is too expensive. According to the estimates of Anatoly Belov, LNG as bunker fuel will cost at least 10-20% more as compared with heavy fuel oil, “good if it is cheaper than marine gasoil”.
At the same time, the expert thinks, too many resources have already been invested in the development of LNG infrastructure, so this type of fuel will anyway become widespread, sooner or later, however, so far it is difficult to predict when.
