Novatek Plans to Use LNG-fueled Bunkering Vessels

Novatek, Russia's largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), plans to use LNG-fueled bunkering vessels at is hubs to comply with stricter environmental regulations, the company said on Monday.

Novatek is building LNG transhipment hubs in Murmansk, in North Western Russia, as well as in the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka.

Bunkering vessels are usually fueled by fuel oil-based blends. New global regulations regarding vessels' engine emissions were introduced in 2020.

According to Novatek, usage of natural gas for fuel leads to cutting emission of nitrogen oxide by 76% and CO2 by 27%, as well as completely blocking the emission of sulphur as a component in soot and sulphur oxide.

LNG is also cheaper than the traditional bunkering fuel.

(Reporting by Natalia Chumakova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin, editing by Ed Osmond)