EMEA News
Belgian Port Becoming 'Hub' for LNG Bunkering
The Zeebrugge liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Belgium is poised to become a hub for the supply of LNG ship fuel, according to terminal operator Fluxys.
The Brussels-based company said that last month it offered potential customers the chance to book long-term capacity at a jetty under construction at the LNG terminal and received indications of interest for more than 200 loading slots of LNG ships, even though there are only a few such ships in circulation now.
The company said this is the first time long-term contracts have been concluded for loading LNG ships at a Northwest European regasification terminal.
The new LNG jetty is scheduled to open in 2015, making it possible to transfer LNG between ships berthed at two jetties, including bunker ships with a loading capacity of as little as 2,000 cubic meters of LNG.
"With the second jetty and the newly booked capacity for loading small LNG ships, the Zeebrugge LNG terminal is paving the way towards becoming a hub for small-scale LNG use," the company said in a statement.
"This means using LNG as an alternative fuel for ships and long-haul trucks."
The jetty's 2015 opening will coincide with the start of stricter sulfur emissions limits in the European Emissions Control Area (ECA).
The Port of Gothenburg in Sweden has also said LNG bunkering will be available there by that time.
Fluxys said it is working with the Belgian ports, the Flemish government, and several other companies to work out a downstream infrastructure for supplying LNG to ships and trucks.
In October, Fluxys, the Flemish government, and the port authorities of Antwertp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent published a feasibility study about the introduction of LNG bunkers, and the Port of Antwerp announced last week that the first LNG bunkering at a Belgian port had taken place.
