‘Green’ Scottish Ferry Emits Far More CO2 Than Old Diesel Ship

Authored by Will Jones via DailyScpetic.org,

The CO2 emissions of a long-delayed and over-budget ‘green’ Scottish ferry will be far larger than that of the 31 year-old diesel ship it is set to replace. 

BBC News has more.

An emissions analysis by CalMac has calculated MV Glen Sannox will emit 10,391 equivalent tonnes of CO2 a year compared with 7,732 for MV Caledonian Isles.

The dual-fuel ferry has more car capacity but requires larger engines which also emit methane, a greenhouse gas with a far greater global warming effect than CO2.

Ferries procurement agency CMAL, which owns the ship, said the comparison was “inaccurate” as Glen Sannox is a larger vessel.

The size of Glen Sannox is a factor in its carbon footprint, but so too is the liquified natural gas (LNG) fuel which is less climate-friendly than previously claimed.

One expert on transport emissions told BBC News that if the “upstream” carbon cost of importing LNG from Qatar is included in the emissions calculation, it might be better to run the new ship on diesel.

Prof Tristan Smith, from University College London’s Energy Institute, said: “In a best case scenario there’s a negligible benefit of using LNG, and at worst there would be a deterioration.”

Glen Sannox is the first ferry ever built in the U.K. capable of running on both LNG and marine gas oil (MGO), a low-sulphur type of diesel.

At its launch in 2017, then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it would contribute to “Scotland’s world-leading climate change goals”.

But the LNG technology also added complexity. The Ferguson shipyard had to overcome many engineering and regulatory challenges before the ship was delivered last month, years late and over budget.

The size of the ship also means it cannot berth at the usual mainland harbour at Ardrossan until a major redevelopment takes place.

Once again the benefits of a ‘green’ technology are hugely oversold. When will they learn that they’ve immersed themselves in a delusion?