SNG: Synthetic gas for the maritime transition
A viable path to decarbonization
MAN Energy Solutions is driving the maritime energy transition with technologies for low-carbon fuels, including green engines and retrofits. Our synthetic natural gas (SNG) solutions offer you a clear path to low-carbon shipping.
From HFO to LNG to SNG
Most of the world's ships run on heavy fuel oil (HFO). The climate crisis has made it essential to find low-carbon alternatives. In recent years, liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become the alternative of choice, but it still a fossil fuel that produces greenhouse gases (GHG). SNG is a new low-carbon alternative. SNG is chemically the same as the main combustible constituent of LNG, so it can used as a direct replacement or blended with LNG, depending on the supply.
SNG as maritime fuel
SNG is optimally suited for the two- and four-stroke dual-fuel engines in MAN’s range and ideal for ships that already run on LNG and aim to save additional emissions. Achieving fuel supply aboard ship is straightforward enough with the right equipment – as with LNG. The new gaseous fuel has to be held at cryogenic temperatures prior to bunkering (-162°C). However, an already established LNG infrastructure can also be used for fueling with SNG.
Reference case: ElbBLUE
World’s first use of SNG in commercial shipping
In September 2021, the 1,036-TEU vessel ElbBLUE, which had been retrofitted with a four-stroke MAN 51/60 dual-fuel engine in 2017, also became the first container ship worldwide to use climate-neutral SNG on a commercial trip. The ship replaced approximately 50% of its bunkered gas fuel with SNG from the Kiwi AG plant in Wertle, Germany. The test proved that any LNG-retrofitted ship can run on carbon-neutral fuels generated by Power-to-X technology.
Read moreManaging Methane Slip
Does the issue of methane slip affect the climate benefits of LNG as an engine fuel for marine applications? Download this paper and find out more about the various countermeasures the company has taken for this purpose.
Synthetic natural gas (SNG) can be derived from fossil fuels and biomass via gasification and methanation processes. SNG can also be produced by, for example, renewable or surplus energy in power-to-gas systems. Biogases are produced from biomass and waste products – and the resulting liquefied fuels can be referred to as BioLNG or LBG (liquefied biogas) and sometimes LBM (liquefied biomethane).
Main advantages:
- SNG and Biogas have the same low NOx, SOx and particulate matter emissions as LNG, but they can be CO2 neutral depending on the feedstock and conversion energy source
- Depending on the source fuel, SNG and Biogas can be a carbon-neutral substitute for fossil fuels
- SNG and Biogas can be blended with LNG to gradually reduce the CO2 footprint
- Considered to be excellent bridging fuels during the ongoing energy transition
Focus areas:
- The availability of SNG and Biogas as bunker fuel
- Increase of production capacities Read more
Solutions / technologies by MAN Energy Solutions:
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Other future fuels
Related news
MITSUI E&S Commences Full-Scale Ammonia Testing
MITSUI E&S has announced the beginning of the test phase for the world’s first commercial, two-stroke, dual-fuel ammonia engine. The MAN B&W 7S60ME-LGIA (-Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) Mk 10.5 prototype engine began its ammonia fuel test-run at MITSUI E&S’s Tamano Factory in Japan.
The 60-bore engine will eventually be installed aboard a 200,000-dwt bulk carrier at Imabari Shipbuilding for a joint venture between “K” LINE, NS United and ITOCHU Corp. It also features MAN Energy Solutions’ proprietary HPSCR (High Pressure Selective Catalytic Reduction) system for IMO Tier III compliance.
Bjarne Foldager – Head of Two-Stroke Business – MAN Energy Solutions, said: “The use of ammonia, which can achieve carbon-neutral combustion when bio-fuel oil is used as pilot oil, is a significant milestone on the path towards decarbonisation, especially in the maritime industry where reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a pressing issue. We have worked closely with MITSUI E&S on this pioneering project and have noted keen interest in its progress from external parties. To date, MAN Energy Solutions has secured several ammonia engine orders throughout Asia and we are confident that ammonia will comprise one of the three major alternative fuels on the market – alongside methanol and methane.”
The test phase also includes verification of the safety and performance of MITSUI E&S’s independently-developed ammonia fuel-supply system, as well as other, peripheral systems.
Ole Pyndt Hansen, Head of Two-Stroke R&D, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “MITSUI E&S’s test builds on the results of comprehensive single-cylinder ammonia-fuel tests conducted at our Research Centre Copenhagen and it is exciting to see this project draw closer to commercial fruition. As a fuel, ammonia’s particular characteristics demand a careful approach and we have taken every precaution in reaching this point where we are comfortable handling it. Operational experience at sea will be key to fine-tuning the engine’s performance and reliability, and thus its market introduction will be subject to a positive service experience. We expect a market introduction of our 50-, 60-, 70- and 80-bore ME-LGIA ammonia engines by the end of 2026, but the exact timing will be subject to the respective shipbuilding schedules.”
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PR MITSUI ME-LGIA_EN
Contact
Nils Søholt
Trade Press Marine
Group Communications & MarktingMAN Energy SolutionsTeglholmsgade 412450 Copenhagen SVDenmark
nils.soeholt@man-es.com t +45 33 85 26 69Available languages
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