Green groups call on ship engine manufacturers to disclose true impact of fossil gas

A coalition of green groups has called on ship engine manufacturers to disclose the full climate impact of fossil gas-powered vessels. More and more shipping companies and cruise liners are ordering vessels that run on LNG – a fuel that is being sold by engine manufacturers as cleaner than traditional fuels. But the full impact of LNG-powered vessels is often unknown as engine manufacturers do not disclose methane slips. 

Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, which releases carbon dioxide when burned. But when used as a fuel for ships, some of this methane slips directly into the environment, warming the planet 80 times faster than CO₂ in the short term. No one knows the true extent of these emissions. The coalition of NGOs therefore calls on engine manufacturers to publicly release detailed data on methane emissions from LNG-powered marine engines.

Constance Dijkstra, LNG campaigner at T&E, said: “Shipping companies are buying LNG-powered vessels as a way to clean up their fleets. But no-one actually knows the true climate impact of LNG, as the quantity of methane that leaks from engines remains unknown. Engine manufacturers must commit to greater transparency.” 

The same group of NGOs has also called for similar transparency for ammonia, another alternative fuel. The lack of transparent and complete information on emissions from ammonia-powered engines means that N2O, a very powerful greenhouse gas which is nearly 300 times more potent than CO₂, goes unmonitored.