EMEA News
LNG Bunkering Plans Moving Forward in Zeebrugge
Fluxys Belgium says its Zeebrugge liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is expanding its LNG bunkering and shipping activities.
A second jetty for loading and unloading LNG carriers is now under construction at the terminal, with LNG bunker ships and other LNG carriers ranging from 2,000 cubic meters to 217,000 cubic meters in capacity set to begin berthing there in 2015.
Overall, the company is spending €95 million ($130 million) on infrastructure this year, including the new jetty and pipeline network upgrades.
During Q1, nine carriers were unloaded at the LNG terminal and five were loaded, a slight increase from eight unloading and five unloading in the same period last year.
The company also noted that Yamal LNG and Fluxys Belgium parent company Fluxys signed an agreement in April signaling a desire to cooperate on using Zeebrugge as a transshipment site for LNG produced in Russia's Yamal Peninsula.
Use of the terminal would help supply Yamal LNG to Asia during the season when the Northern Sea Route (NSR) through the Arctic is closed.
"If Fluxys Belgium succeeds in attracting LNG transshipment operations to the Zeebrugge terminal, this would be an important project for the company itself and for the port of Zeebrugge," the company said.
"It would bring considerable investment to the terminal, link the facility to an additional source of LNG and entail a significant volume of ship movements."
The Yamal oil field in Siberia may have 907 billion cubic meters of natural gas available, making it a significant location for the expansion of LNG production.
