SATURDAY NEWSDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2 K 13 Cadiz looking at CNG fast ferries By JULIEN NEAVES Saturday, September 28 2013 WITH $100 million being spent annually on diesel for the Fast Ferries and the country’s high rate of emissions, the Transport Ministry is looking at the possibility of acquiring new vessels powered by the cheaper and more environmentally friendly Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), said Transport Minister, Stephen Cadiz. He said the millions spent on diesel was “literally burning up money” and “we don’t need to do that.” He added: “We have LNG, we have CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). So we have alternative fuels that we can use.” He said that ferries were also “coming of age,” and one of the vessels was more than 15 years old. It would eventually have to be replaced. He noted if they will be looking at new ferries there is new technology with existing ferries in other parts of the world “and Trinidad and Tobago should jump at that”. He was speaking with the media on Thursday following the World Maritime Day 2013 Celebration at the University of Trinidad and Tobago campus in Chaguaramas. He pointed out that there was a brand new LNG fast ferry called Francisco, named after the new Pope, which should be going into service in Argentina in about a month. “So we would want to see what performance they get out of it,” he said. Cadiz explained that we will not save the entire $100 million a year by switching to LNG ferries, but there will be “substantial savings”. He also noted the environmental issues, adding that this country does not have a good environmental footprint because of the amount of emissions. He stressed that Government has to take the lead in changing this footprint, and LNG fast ferries were a good opportunity for this. He said as new LNG ferries would have to be purchased they are currently considering how much money it would cost; what would the savings be by running LNG instead of diesel, and if the savings can offset over time, the actual purchase price of the ferries. He added that similar considerations were being made for the water taxis. He noted the move to LNG vessels was similar to the conversion of the Public Transport Service Corporation fleet from diesel to CNG. International Maritime Organisation regional adviser Colin Young in his remarks noted that this country had conducted two studies looking at the possibilities of using LNG as a fuel for shipping; a first study looking at using LNG for short sea and coastal shipping in the wider Caribbean region and a second, currently in progress, on the use of LNG as a fuel for high speed passenger ship operating from Port-of-Spain ferry terminal in Trinidad and Tobago. “Both studies provide vital information to the shipping industry globally in support of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships,” he said. Cadiz in his address also spoke of initiatives in his ministry including: 2013 Shipping Act, which should be in Parliament shortly, to replace outdated legislation; a national maritime policy which is being developed by a committee, and will be under consideration by Parliament; a vessel traffic management system which was approved in Cabinet on Thursday; an open ship registry; and the port expansions in La Brea and at the Port of Port-of-Spain. He said most modern ports in other countries had relocated from their original locations whereas the Port of Port-of-Spain had not been relocated. He pointed out that the port sits on the most valuable property in the country and it “makes no sense putting steel boxes there”.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 01:32:29 +0000
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