The first ever LNG bunkering took place on the Great Lakes area last week, when the MV Damia Desgagnés, carrying a load of asphalt, docked at the Port of Hamilton’s Pier 22 to refuel before departing for Detroit.
As a result of a new partnership between the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority and Pennsylvania-based LNG services provider REV LNG, vessels will now be able to refuel with LNG during any stopover at Hamilton Port.
This is a milestone in the energy evolution of the Great Lakes shipping industry, which is looking for new ways to reduce GHGs, in line with IMO ambitions, as well as with its goal to be carbon neutral by 2025.
As a founding member of the Green Marine program, we are always looking for new ways to support improved environmental performance. This offering to our shipping customers will keep HOPA at the forefront. We look forward to continuing to find new ways to support improving air quality, reducing GHGs, and working collaboratively with Canadian and US marine and energy sector partners to help accelerate the adoption of LNG, and spur further fuel innovations,
…said Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority CEO Ian Hamilton.
Pivotal LNG, a leading provider of LNG marine fuel, supported the project with its expertise and LNG supply from the recently operational Towanda Liquefaction and Storage Facility, located in Bradford County, Pennsylvania.
Although LNG supply chains are still relatively new in the Great Lakes, demand for LNG is growing as shipowners work to meet or exceed national climate targets for GHG reduction and improved air quality, in addition to those set by the IMO.
Based in Quebec City, Desgagnés has been one of the early Canadian adopters, investing heavily in R&D and innovation across its fleet to reduce emissions. The company is currently operating five LNG-flagged tankers all operating in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway system, Eastern Canada and US as well as the Canadian Arctic, said Jacques Beauchamp, President, Petro-Nav Inc., subsidiary of Desgagnés.
Currently, the only LNG capacity at ports in Canada exists along the west coast in BC and the St Lawrence River in Montreal and Quebec City.
Canadian ship operators have spent more than $2 billion in recent years on new ships as well as adopting technologies and alternative fuels to decrease their environmental footprint further. LNG is part of the mix of solutions and having an expanded supply network will be key to its further adoption,
…adds Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.
