Port Gothenburg Offering LNG
Ships running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) are going to be able to bunker at the Port of Gothenburg, as new regulations for LNG bunkering have been introduced by the Gothenburg Port Authority in collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam and the Swedish Transport Agency.
The regulations will allow cargo ships to bunker LNG at a cargo terminal and are the first general regulations to be introduced in Sweden.
Dan-Erik Andersson, Vice President Operations at the Port of Gothenburg Energy Port, said: "We firmly believe that LNG is the marine fuel of the future. The new regulations will have a key role to play in bringing added momentum to our region.
"It is particularly pleasing that many ports in Sweden and in other countries have shown great interest in what we have done and are formulating their regulations using our regulations as a template. Even public agencies such as the US Coastguard have contacted us and are interested in an exchange of knowledge.”
Sulphur and particle emissions are reduced to almost zero, nitrogen emissions are reduced by 85-90% and carbon dioxide emissions by 25% when using LNG fuel.
As informed by the port authority, by next year, the Port of Gothenburg will be visited regularly by LNG-powered ships, as tanker operators Terntank, Furetank and Thun Tankers are all due to launch new ships that will be equipped to run on LNG.
“We expect to receive a visit from an LNG-powered ship once or twice a week next year and many will take the opportunity to bunker in Gothenburg,” Andersson added.
For the time being, natural gas will come from terminals outside Gothenburg although eventually there will be an import terminal for LNG at the Port of Gothenburg.
At the turn of the year a new port tariff was introduced at the Port of Gothenburg, which means that LNG-powered ships will receive a 30 percent discount on the port charge when they visit the port. Over a year, this will amount to a significant sum for those that call on a regular basis.
