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The first delivery of liquid biogas for cruise ships in Norway – a pre-project study

Awarded: NOK 0.13 mill.

Project Number:

323566

Project Period:

2021 - 2021

Funding received from:

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For large vessels, liquid biogas is a viable climate friendly fuel, but today we lack infrastructure for the use of liquid biogas in the maritime sector. Norway has a leading position in using the fossil fuel liquid natural gas (LNG) as fuel on ships, and liquid biogas (LBG) can be used as a fuel instead of or blended with LNG. Blending in renewable fuels is in line with the cruise companies’ strategies for decarbonization. The combination of Norway’s position in green shipping and in LNG for ships, gives a unique opportunity for Norway to take the lead in using liquid biogas for ships, giving us the possibility of exporting knowledge and technology, as well as significantly reducing the carbon emissions from ships in Norwegian waters and thereby global CO2 emissions. The goal of the main project will be to develop and build necessary technology and a novel business model and value chain, that enables the distribution of climate friendly biogas from production facilities on land to ships. This will be the first value chain for biogas to be used on ships. The pre-project will contribute to build knowledge and to enable the industry to establish the value chain from production of liquid biogas to use in cruise ships in Norwegian waters. The project has three LNG cruise vessel operators as partners and one LNG bunkering ship operator. The development of new infrastructure for these cruise vessels will contribute to establish climate friendly tourism along the coast in addition to biogas infrastructure in the ports and establish a new market for use of biogas in the maritime sector. Along with this new market, we will benefit from the technologies developed for the infrastructure and knowledge about how biogas can contribute to a more climate friendly maritime sector. Both the knowledge and technology development from the project will be positive contributors to Norwegian exports later on.

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