Port is making the procedures available as guidelines for other ports too
Image Credit: Port of Antwerp
The port of Antwerp is taking measuresin advance of stricter emissionstandards for shipping due to come intoeffect in 2015. As part of this effort theport is getting ready for seagoing shipsto bunker safely and efficiently withliquefied natural gas (LNG).
In orderto provide full support to shippingoperators the Port Authority is teamingup with EXMAR to build and operate anLNG bunkering vessel.
ntwerp is playing a pioneering role for LNG bunkering in Europe. At the moment there are two barges, the Argonon and the Greenstream, that fuel up withLNG in the port of Antwerpby the truck to ship method.”Antwerp is a no-nonsense portas far as we are concerned”, says Rene Overveld, fleet manager of Interstream Barging, the operatorof the Greenstream. “In this respect we are very pleased that the port has been quick to introduce proper LNG bunkering facilities”
The European Commission toobelieves in LNG. In fact it hasgiven approval for subsidies tobuild an LNG bunkering stationfor barges in the port of Antwerp. By the end of 2015 seagoing shipswill also be able to tank up withLNG in Antwerp.
In this way Antwerp is helping the shipping industry to meet the sustainability challenge and comply with stricter emission standards ofr fuels. To stimulate and facilitate the switch to more environment- friendly LNG the port is providing assistance to ship operators.
Safety First
The port of Antwerp is busy developing LNG bunkering procedures so that by the end of 2013 the ship operators will know exactly where and how they can take on the alternative fuel within the port. But of course safety comes first and foremost, with all risks being taken into account. In the meantime the port is making the procedures available as guidelines for other European ports wishing to offer LNG fuelling facilities. One can safely state that the port of Antwerp is pioneering the use of LNG.
LNG bunkering vessel
The next step will be to get the logistics chain operational. The priority here is the LNG bunkering vessel being built by EXMAE with financial participation by the Antwerp Municipal Port Authority. According to the current schedule the vessel should enter operation in 2015.
LNG Terminal
The first steps have already been taken to set up an LNG terminal in the Antwerp port area where the vessel will able to fill up. The port Authority is considering which location is most suitable in collaboration with a number of concession-holders. LNG bunkering has an assured future in Antwerp.
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LNG as the answer to stricter emission standards There is increasing interest in the international shipping world for LNG as an alternative form of low-sulphur fuel, spurred in part by the 0.1% limit for sulphur content that will apply to ship fuels as of 2015. The new limit will apply within the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) covering the North Sea and the Baltic. A similar limit will be introduced in the Emission Control Area (ECA) along the East and West coasts of the USA, where emissions of nitrogen oxides will also be controlled. To comply with the new standards LNG offers a sustainable alternative. According to an estimate by DNV between 19% and 45% of seagoing ships will be powered by LNG by 2030 |
