EMEA News
Rotterdam: New Berth to Support LNG Bunkering
The Port of Rotterdam has announced that, through a collaborative effort between the port, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie (Gasunie), and Royal Vopak N.V. (Vopak), the liquefied natural gas (LNG) Gate terminal at the Maasvlakte, has been expanded to include a third berth for the loading of small LNG vessels, including LNG bunkering vessels.
The port says that the new berth will support small LNG vessels to provide distribution services to LNG terminals in other North Sea and Baltic ports where large LNG tankers cannot provide direct deliveries due to their draught.
The new berth, which can handle vessels of up to 180 meters long, will allow for the loading of small volumes of LNG between 1,000 cbm up to 20,000 cbm, with volumes set to increase to 40,000 cbm in the longer term.
The Port of Rotteerdam notes that LNG can be loaded at a maximum speed of 1,000 cbm per hour, serving up to an estimated 280 ships per year.
Ulco Vermeulen, director of Participation & Business Development and member of the Executive Board of Gasunie, has said that Gate terminal offers enhanced functionality within the LNG supply chain, enabling loading and distribution of smaller parcels to be completed more efficiently, and stimulating uptake of LNG bunkers.
Shell, the new berth's launching customer, is noted to have reserved some of the capacity for the loading of small vessels, including a new bunker vessel that has been ordered by the company.
"Thanks to the collaboration with Gasunie, Vopak, and Port of Rotterdam, we are ready to supply Shell LNG Fuel to marine customers in northwest Europe, through dedicated and scalable infrastructure," says Lauran Wetemans, Shell's General Manager Downstream LNG.
"We provide fuel options to meet the current and future needs of our marine and commercial road transport customers. For marine LNG fuel customers we leverage our experience as one of the world's leading LNG player."
The expansion project is said to play a key role in facilitating LNG storage and securing LNG supply in Northwest European ports, such as Gothenburg.
As Ship & Bunker reported in December, in order to encourage the use of LNG as marine fuel, the Port of Rotterdam announced an additional incentive programme, which provides seagoing vessels that bunker LNG in Rotterdam with a 10 percent discount on gross seaport dues.
