Wärtsilä's Hatley Joins 'Society for Gas as Marine Fuel' Board

John Hatley, Vice President, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions in America, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF). Wärtsilä has long been at the forefront of developing technologies to make possible the use of gas as a marine fuel, and this appointment reflects this long standing commitment.

The SGMF is a new nongovernmental organization (NGO) established to promote safety and industry best practices when using gas as a marine fuel. Gas fuel provides the marine industry with a viable path to achieving compliance with increasingly stringent environmental standards. The use of gas fuel notably reduces the level of harmful exhaust emissions from ship engines that are typical with conventional liquid fuels. 

At Wärtsilä, Hatley has worked since 2010 to shape the trajectory of marine gas fuel adoption in North America. His efforts have helped generate momentum across the fundamental enablers, namely the gas supply, regulatory framework and training, while facilitating leadership in moving the industry forward.

"I believe the SGMF will play a pivotal role in promoting the safe adoption of gas as a preferred fuel throughout the marine global markets, both today and in the future. It is my honor to represent Wärtsilä within this premier organization, and to assist the marine industry in its move forward into this new gas fuel era," Hatley said.

The mission of SGMF is to promote safe and responsible operations for gas fuelled ships. SGMF promotes the sharing of lessons learned, training and industry development and the fostering of relationships amongst regulatory agencies with principal stakeholders.