Port of Rotterdam Marks First LNG Bunkering Operation

The Port of Rotterdam says bunkering of the product tanker Ternsund with LNG is set to be completed by Wednesday morning.

The Port of Rotterdam Tuesday announced that bunkering of the product tanker Ternsund is underway - the first vessel to be bunkered with liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the port, as well as the first to receive Rotterdam's 10 percent discount on seaport dues for utilising LNG bunkers.

As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, as part of its maiden voyage, the Terntank Rederi A/S (Terntank) vessel arrived at the port on August 8, where the vessel was set to first travel to the port's Vopak Botlek with a cargo of naphtha before moving to the Willem Alexander Terminal to be bunkered.

"The Port of Rotterdam Authority is pleased that the first sea-going vessel is being bunkered with LNG in Rotterdam," stated the port authority, adding that it is currently aiming "to turn the port into a major European LNG hub and promotes the transition from fuel oil to the much cleaner LNG as fuel for shipping."

Before the bunkering could take place, Ternsund's fuel tank is noted to have been "cooled down" to an operating temperature to -162 °C from +20 °C over a period of in 18 hours.

The vessel is then said to have been slated to be bunkered via trucks with Shell LNG, a process set to be completed Wednesday morning before the carrier continues on to Gothenburg.

The port notes that the use of LNG bunkers can reduce vessel CO2 emissions by as much as 20 percent, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 85 percent, and sulfur and particulate matter emissions to nearly zero.

"This is an important reason for the Port of Rotterdam Authority to encourage the use of LNG. In the meantime, the Port Authority expects possible other sea-going vessels in Rotterdam to bunker LNG," explained the port authority.

"The cost for the cleaner fuel is some 20 percent lower than elsewhere, and moreover, Rotterdam offers various incentives. The Environmental Ship Index and the LNG Bunkering Incentive each offer a premium worth 10 percent of the seaport dues."

As Ship & Bunker reported in December, Shell will deploy a 6,500 cubic metre capacity LNG bunkering vessel at Rotterdam.

In June, it was reported that Tom Strang, senior vice president for maritime affairs at Carnival Corporation & plc (Carnival), said the company and its subsidiary, AIDA Cruises, were working to overcome restrictions and regulations in the Port of Rotterdam that are currently preventing its new LNG powered vessel AidaPrima from receiving or using LNG bunkers there.