It can be a debatable point as to whether liquefied natural gas (LPG), which has methane as its principal constituent, can really be counted as a ‘future fuel’. It is relatively widely used by shipping, and is a fossil-derived fuel, which does offers benefit over other fossil fuels, as burning it emits significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Furthermore, LNG produces negligible sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are considerably below other fossil fuels. In addition, industry collective Sea-LNG points out that: “There are no waste disposal or discharge issues associated with the use of LNG in contrast to exhaust gas treatment systems, or scrubbers used by shipping companies which continue to burn high sulphur, heavy fuel oil. Finally, LNG poses no pollution risk to ocean environments through fuel spills in contrast to traditional marine fuels.”