Finnish liquified natural gas distributor Skangas is claiming the world’s first ship-to-ship bunkering of LNG fuel in what it is calling a ‘new era’ in the use of LNG fuel in international shipping.
The bunkering operation took place September 3 and involved the LNG-fueled product tanker MT Ternsund taking on fuel from the small-scale LNG carrier Coral Energy, which is owned by Anthony Veder and chartered by Skangas. The operation was carried out at the entrance to the port of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Prior to the operation, LNG fuel has been supplied on board ships by either truck or onshore terminals.
The 15,000 DWT Ternsund was delivered to Swedish tanker owner Terntank in June 2015. It is the first of four LNG powered oil/chemical tankers the company has on order at Avic Dingheng Shipbuilding in China. The vessels are equipped with a Wärtsilä two stroke dual fuel main engine capable of running on both diesel and liquified natural gas. The hull design is supplied by Rolls-Royce.
Skangas is actually getting ready for delivery of a new LNG bunkering vessel, named Coralius, in early 2017. Coralius will have a capacity of 5,800 cbm and will provide ship-to-ship bunkering and LNG feeder services to terminals throughout Europe.
“We are very proud to be one of the first in the world to bunker LNG ship-to-ship. We strongly believe that LNG will rapidly become the fuel solution for forward-thinking ship owners”, says Tor Morten Osmundsen, CEO of Skangas. “We have developed an LNG infrastructure to serve the Nordic Industrial and Marine sectors, and make LNG available for customers who are willing to switch to a much cleaner fuel than traditionally used. The bunkering operation in Gothenburg clearly indicates that the market is developing and that our efforts to make LNG readily available are paying off.”
“The ship-to-ship bunkering between Ternsund and Coral Energy represents a significant milestone in the adoption of LNG as marine fuel,” said Jean-François Segretain, Technical Director of Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas, which classed both vessels. “Bureau Veritas has facilitated this major step through our dedicated rules and active participation in development of new international guidelines that encourage the adoption of clean fuel and enhance designs for new clean vessels.”