First German ship-to-ship LNG bunkering
At the Elbehafen Brunsbüttel, part of Brunsbüttel Ports, the trailing suction hopper dredger Scheldt River received 300m3 of the low emission fuel from bunker supply vessel (BSV) Kairos, which is owned and operated on Nauticor’s behalf by Babcock Schulte Energy.
Mahinde Abeynaike, chief executive of Nauticor, said that the delivery was another milestone in the development of a comprehensive LNG supply infrastructure. “The operations with the world’s largest LNG BSV Kairos allow for flexible, safe, and efficient supply of the environmentally friendly fuel to marine customers,” he said. “A variety of marine customers are already utilising this service, including product tankers, container vessels, ferries, and special purpose vessels, such as the trailing suction hopper dredger Scheldt River.”
The Scheldt River is owned and operated by the DEME Group and is currently conducting maintenance dredging works on the Lower Elbe. In the past, the vessel has received LNG from Nauticor through truck-to-ship bunkering operations. In the beginning of October 2019, the DEME Group and Nauticor signed a framework agreement for the supply of LNG with the BSV Kairos to DEME’s fleet of newbuild vessels with LNG propulsion.
Supplying LNG ship-to-ship marks an important milestone for the shipping sector in Germany in general. By using larger BSVs, it becomes practical both economically and ecologically to supply larger vessels with significant amounts of LNG. Previous LNG bunkering operations in Germany were conducted solely through the truck-to-ship method.
