EMEA News
European Ports Gear up for LNG Bunker Fuelling
Rotterdam will have nine licenced liquified natural gas (LNG) bunker providers by 2020, a port official has said.
Six of those would be for in port operations while the other three would be for bunker tankers operating in the spot market, Cees Boon, a senior policy advisor with the port told a recent London shipping and energy conference.
"By using best practice guidelines in the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAHP) audit tool developed by ports for port authorities, licences to operate can be efficiently assessed and granted to professional LNG bunker operators looking to provide their services across several ports," Boon said as reported by the IAPH website.
Speaking at the same event, Dunkerque LNG's Cécile Grégoire-David predicted that as majority of the world's 128 LNG fuel-enabled newbuilds currently on order would call at European destinations, up to 50 LNG bunker operations per year could take place at French port by 2025.
LNG is seen as a viable marine fuel alternative to oil-based fuel oil. However, its spread will hinge on the development of a concomitant supply infrastructure.
