Globally the number of vessels in the LNG bunker fleet
continues to grow in response to the increasing number of LNG-powered vessels
in service and in support of the growth of the LNG market. Russia’s first LNG
bunker vessel was recently launched and in Spain the European Commission has
agreed to assist in financing the construction of the first LNG supply vessel
to operate in the Port of Algeciras.
As the year comes to an end, 2020 saw the introduction of
several high-profile LNG bunker vessels and overall growth in the market. Among
the notable vessels was the largest yet built bunker, which is being based in
Rotterdam. Japan also introduced its first LNG supply ship operating in Tokyo
Bay. According to DNV GL, 175 LNG-powered vessels are operating in the world
with 20 bunkering vessels supplying LNG. Other ports, such as Spain, are
currently doing truck-to-ship fuelings.
Russia’s Gazprom Neft recently launched the country’s first
LNG bunkering vessel. Named in honor of Russian chemist and researcher Dmitry
Mendeleev, the ship measures 328 feet and can transport up to 5,800 cubic
meters of liquid natural gas. Because the vessel will be operating in the
Baltic and the Gulf of Finland, it is also uniquely fitted with an Arc4
ice-class reinforced hull, which means it can navigate one-year-old ice up to
approximately two and a half feet thick independent of an icebreaker. Gazprom
also says that the vessel’s integrated digital system means it can be
controlled by just one crew member, directly from the navigation bridge.
The Russian LNG bunker vessel was recently moved to its
fitting out berth for the final installation of navigation systems and
controls. Sea trials are planned for spring 2021 and Gazprom expects it will be
in service in the second half of 2021.
To support the growth of LNG operations in Spain, last week
the European Commission signed a grant agreement to assist by co-financing the
construction of the first LNG supply vessel for the Port of Algeciras. The
project, which is being led by a subsidiary of Enagás and the Port Authority of
the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), will receive 20 percent of its cost, approximately
$13.5 million, in financing from the EC under a program designed to support the
development of the LNG market as a sustainable maritime fuel.
The vessel, which will have a capacity of 12,500 cubic
meters of LNG, is due to enter service in 2023. Based at the Enagás terminal in
Huelva it will be available both to fuel vessels as well as transfer LNG to
smaller barges that can be used to fuel smaller ships docked in the port of
Algeciras.
The Port of Algeciras conducted its first supply of LNG to
ships in Spain by tanker truck starting in 2012. This year, it completed seven
LNG fuelings by truck, which represented a 300 percent increase over 2019.
With an additional 230 LNG-fueled ships on order, the trade
group SEA-LNG expects that the bunkering segment will continue to grow rapidly.
They predicted that up to 30 LNG bunker vessels could be operating globally
within the next four to five years.