The rapid developments in the crisis in Ukraine and increasingly threatening security situation means UK forces are looking hard at practicing how to project power further afield in an unstable world.
One interesting trial that was recently undertaken by the Royal Navy was where one of the Royal Fleet Auxilary fueling and support ships linked up with the civilian MT Maersk Peary oil tanker in Lyme Bay to see whether oil could be transferred between the two vessels.
Calling upon civilian tankers and oilers to sustain the navy’s fleet could prove crucial if the military tankers are unable to stock up on supplies by putting into port. The RN website quotes from the Falklands conflict that recently celebrated 40 years and points out that civilian shipping was vitally important in that conflict.
Would you like to know a bit more about the practice of ‘bunkering’ where a ship-to-ship transfer of HFO bunker fuel, distillates, or LNG takes place?
We have embedded interesting videos from Shell Marine and Chief Makoi about bunking with HFO, marine fuel, heavy, or furnace oil and LNG below:
The video on the left tells you a bit about Shell marine’s LNG bunker barge vessel; this allows for heavy vessel’s main propulsion engines to work on dual fuel and lower emissions.
Propulsion plant manufacturers like MAN Energy, MaK, or Bergen engines, offer both 2 or 4 stroke engines working with a diverse mix of fuels.
