Ahead of the LNG Bunkering & Future Fuel Global Summit 2024, we spoke exclusively to Dain Detillier, Executive Vice President – LNG Operations, Harvey Gulf International Marine, about how he is utilising LNG, hydrogen, and electricity to drive sustainable ship transportation and the decarbonisation of the maritime industry. Here is a snapshot of what Dain had to say! -  You can download the interview in full here.

Please can you tell me about the AMFs you chose, and why you chose these to drive sustainable ship transportation and the decarbonisation of the maritime industry?

In 2011, our CEO Shane Guidry, took a proactive approach to seek out alternative fuels to decrease our carbon footprint and provide our customers with a vessel that is clean but efficient. LNG was the fuel of choice for our industry and the best choice to provide an easy transition for the company, but most importantly our customers. In 2015, Harvey Gulf delivered the 1st LNG Powered Offshore Supply Vessel in North America. From 2015 through to 2018, we continued to produce 4 more LNG Powered Offshore Supply Vessels. During this time, we were able to collect and provide meaningful feedback to our customers on the efficiencies of the vessel both with fuel savings and emission reductions. In 2021, Harvey Gulf incorporated battery packs on all 5 LNG Offshore Supply Vessels. With the additional battery power onboard these vessels, it allows us to run fewer engines online reducing fuel consumption but most importantly reduce emissions from the vessels. We also were able to obtain Bio-LNG produced from swine waste and blended it with traditional LNG. This fuel was bunkered to the Harvey America and created a Tri-Fuelled Vessel that has an emission profile of net-zero.

What are the key steps involved in utilising and truly leveraging the potential of these fuels?

While most companies will want to say cost is not a factor in implementing these alternative fuels, understanding the short and long-term costs are the first step you need to identify. The next factor is the safety factors that are involved with using this type of fuel. Afterwards, you need to understand the supply chain of the fuel. While some of these alternative fuels may be available today, the user needs to secure the fuel for long-term usage. This is why we feel that alternative fuels such as ammonia and methanol are not a good fit for our industry. These fuels are not being utilised right now but once it becomes a fuel the price of the fuel will drastically increase. LNG on the other hand is readily available and long-term projections show the fuel is sustainable. LNG has been used as a fuel for a long time and has a proven safety record. Lastly, it is just as important to be able to collect data and show the end user and stakeholders the positive impacts of utilising alternative fuels. Results are key for the life of fuel.

To explore Dian's answers to the following questions: 

1. Please can you talk me through how you successfully implemented these fuels on your ships?
2. What were the greatest R&D challenges you encountered with these fuels? And how did you overcome these?
3. How did you measure the success of these fuels, to drive the decarbonisation of the maritime industry?

Download the interview in full here