Titan LNG Confirms Manufacturing Start for LNG Bunkering Pontoon

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday October 18, 2017

Titan LNG today announced that it has contracted the manufacturing consortium - led by Kooiman Marine Group and including subcontractors Marine Services Noord and Cryovat International - for Titan LNG's FlexFueler001 liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering pontoon.

"We are very content with this consortium as each party is an evident leader in its own field. Furthermore, they have successfully cooperated in the past already. This will significantly decrease risk during the building period. I’m confident that we will jointly build this fit for purpose and state-of-art LNG bunkering pontoon," said Ronald van Selm, Titan LNG’s COO.

Michael Schaap, Titan LNG’s commercial director marine, commenting on the develooment, said: "due to the substantial increase in upcoming demand for LNG as a bunker fuel in the ARA region, we had the opportunity to outfit the pontoon directly with 4 tanks. It was an easy trade-off between becoming operational slightly deferred and reaching maximum capacity of 1480 cbm from the start directly."

As Ship & Bunker has reported, the vessel is set to become Europe's first LNG bunkering pontoon.

"We identified LNG as an important development for the necessary emission improvements in the shipping," said Rinus Kooiman, general manager of the Kooiman Marine Group

"To us, the FlexFueler is the logical last mile solution for in-port operations. It copies the usual modus of operations in the existing bunkering market, paramount for adoption by ship owners. Furthermore, heading shipbuilding projects, acting as the main contractor and taking full responsibility for the complete ship, also fits our full-service philosophy."

As previously reported, the construction of the vessel will be supported by the Province of North-Holland, and is expected to be operational by 2018's Q3.