The 18th international conference and exhibition on LNG is running throughout this week from 11th-15th April in Perth, Australia. Current and significant impacts on the world’s LNG industry are looming large, with the global event providing a stage for companies within the sector to shine.
Keith Stewart, the Managing Director at Herose UK Ltd and Global Sales at Herose GmbH, explains why the LNG18 event is not quite the right fit, but underlines how the manufacturing company is staying ahead of the game.
Why has Herose chosen not to attend LNG18?
We have been to LNG17 and just feel that the event is focused on the bulk transfer of LNG from the original source to the point of use with liquefaction of large volumes of LNG in between. The focus is on shipping lines, large terminals and liquefiers and is not specific to the small and mid-scale LNG business sector that we, and others in our industry, focus on. We do attend many small and mid-scale LNG events globally that are more relevant to us and focus on our business objectives.
What is Herose’s involvement in the LNG business?
Our main business is in the small and mid-scale LNG sectors, which is the same for most of the companies involved in the industrial gases industry. Today, we have supplied our valves for over 500 LNG shaving stations in China, including major LNG storage facilities. We are also a major global supplier for complete valve packages for dual fuelling of ships, including some of the major ships being built in Europe and China today. Our third focus is on valve packages for vehicle fuelling for distribution businesses in populated areas. We also supply complete valve packages for LNG containers globally as LNG continues to be moved from location to location for hooking up for portable local use.
How has the LNG industry developed in recent years and affected Herose?
The most recent development has been the growth of dual fuel shipping applications, particularly in Europe. These specialist applications require full shipping approvals which Herose has through working with the appropriate authorities globally. These applications require supporting bunkering stations that are purpose built in some instances, and supplied by LNG containers in smaller remote installations. The need for a cleaner environment in ports in populated areas continues to drive growth in the sector where Europe is taking a lead.
What challenges do you see ahead in the LNG sector?
The major change that has slowed the growth of LNG is today’s oil price. This makes it difficult commercially to finance the capital expenditure required for new equipment when considered against existing energy sources.
How will you ensure Herose stays ahead of the game?
We recently attended the 38th AIIGMA Conference in Sri Lanka where I presented a paper entitled ‘New Applications and a Safer, Lower Cost Industry,’ which showed recent developments in the market that Herose are championing. Today, Herose’s Engineering and Manufacturing Centre remains in Germany giving its LNG and industrial gas customer base not only the quality package of products it demands, but also the confidence that Herose is here developing new ideas for tomorrow.
