Bomin Linde LNG has successfully conducted the first bunkering of a chemical tanker with liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a port in Germany. Specifically, the ‘Fure West’ vessel received the chilled natural gas in the Port of Rostock on 2nd February.
A total of four LNG trucks were unloaded onto the vessel, operated by Swedish shipping company Furetank AB, at Germany’s largest Baltic Sea port.
Bomin Linde LNG’s Director LNG Portfolio Sonja Nesshoever signified, “The truck-to-ship bunkering process went smoothly thanks to the seamless coordination between the ship’s crew and our Bomin Linde experts onshore.”
In 2015, the ‘Fure West’ became one of the first tankers to run on LNG when it was retrofitted by its owners. Since then, Gothenburg-based business Furetank announced plans to extend its fleet of LNG-powered tankers after ordering six LNG-fuelled new builds in conjunction with the Gothia Tanker Alliance.
Furetank’s Managing Director Lars Höglund stated,
“We are happy that we are able to bunker LNG in an increasing number of ports, including Rostock. Jointly developing the LNG market is the basis for successfully establishing LNG as a ship fuel.”
Jens Aurel Scharner, Managing Director of Rostock Port, said that the successful bunkering operation will help to establish Rostock as a prime location for alternative ship fuel supply.
“We are pleased to see that not only supply by truck, but also by bunker vessel might be an option in the long run,” he added.
Source: Bomin Linde
