LNG also limits the amount of greenhouse gases in the air, according to Rick Schiappacasse, Director of Forest Products and Specialty Cargo Sales at JAXPORT in communication with Digital Journal. Schiappacasse’s company is helping businesses to make more effective use of LNG and for cleaning up the global supply chain. For this reason, Jacksonville, Florida is one of the areas seen as the center of this growing green technology.
Liquefied natural gas is natural gas (predominantly methane, with some mixture of ethane) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. The product has a much lower environmental impact when it is burned compared with other fossil fuels. The gas emits less carbon dioxide, less particulate matter and produces less ash, when emissions are compared.
However, LNG is not completely green and there are some environmental and safety issues to consider. For example, there are concerns with the production of the gas when it is associated with fracking.
In terms of why Florida has become the major center in the U.S. for the gas, more than a billion dollars in LNG investments have been made in Northeast Florida in the last five years, signifying the region’s commitment to creating the clean supply chain of the future. This initiative is even more pertinent now with the new administration’s environmental goals.
Looking at the example of JAX LNG’s shipping activities at JAXPORT, this has been established as the homeport to the world’s first two LNG-powered container ships, operated by TOTE Maritime, and the world’s first two LNG-powered “conro ships,” combination container and vehicle ships, operated by Crowley Maritime Corporation. These ships are four especially designed environmentally friendly vessels.
The JAXPORT enables distribution access to and from Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and other key markets worldwide. Hence, measures that reduce the environmental impact are important. In this context, efforts are occurring in Jacksonville to advance LNG and to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Data suggests LNG utilization results in a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, a 90 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and a 100 percent reduction in sulphur and fine particle emissions, when compared to traditional heavy fuels. Therefore, despite the reliance upon fossil fuels, LNG provides a step in the right direction towards a greener fuel situation.
