Connecting Europe Facility News

The European Parliament has officially adopted the Berendsen report, an own-initiative report on “building a comprehensive European Port Strategy” (585 in favor, 21 against, 26 abstentions).The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomed the support for the strategic and vital role that Europe’s ports play for European society and economy. ESPO supports the Parliament’s plea to further harmonize the measures to strengthen the resilience and protection of Europe’s critical infrastructure, including ports.

Fratelli Cosulich Bunkers (S) Pte Ltd. christened and launched its second Small Scale LNG carrier - the Paolina Cosulich - at the CIMC SOE shipyard in China.The event  was attended by Diana Mok - Managing Director at Fratelli Cosulich Bunkers (S) Pte Ltd, acting as the godmother of the vessel. Paolina Cosulich will sail under the Italian flag with Captain Vincenzo Scotto at the helm. The 5,300 DWT vessel can carry 8,200 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO and will be fitted with Wartsila's Dual Fuel technology.Boil off management techniques will be used by the LNG subcooling plant…

Italian firm Fratelli Cosulich Group has ordered a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel. The ship, which will be built in China, at the CIMC SOE shipyard, with its approximately 5,300 tons of DWT will be able to transport over 8,000 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO for bunkering. The vessel will be equipped by Wartsila, a Finland-based company specializing in the manufacture of propulsion and power generation systems for marine use with Dual Fuel technology. According to Fratelli Cosulich…

French energy group Total said Monday it had realized the first ship-to-containership Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering operation in France. The world’s largest LNG bunker vessel in operation, Total’s Gas Agility, completed on Friday evening, April 30th, at the Port of Dunkirk the refueling of the world’s largest containership powered by LNG, the CMA CGM Jacques Saade, with around 16,400m3 of LNG.This inaugural operation also marks Dunkerque LNG terminal’s first loading of…

The European Commission will co-finance the construction of the first vessel to be fully dedicated to liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering at the Port of Algeciras, Spain.The grant agreement was signed with Enagás and the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay on Tuesday.Enagás said the project is "boosted" by the Enagás start-up that specializes in small-scale LNG supply infrastructure, Scale Gas, and the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay (APBA).The initiative, coordinated by Enagás…

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide an €80 million loan ($94,7 million), alongside EU and EIB financing, for a floating storage and regasification unit in CyprusThe EBRD is providing an €80 million loan to the Natural Gas Infrastructure Company of Cyprus (ETYFA) for the acquisition of an FSRU and the development of related infrastructure.The FSRU will be permanently anchored about 1.3 km off the coast of Limassol in Vasilikos Bay and will connect directly to the adjacent Vasilikos power station, the largest power plant in Cyprus. The EU is extending a €101 million grant for the project under the Connecting Europe Facility.

Port of Hamburg Marketing successfully takes part in tenders for EU- and nationally funded projects, together with members and partners from science, business and administration.Focus is put on current issues of transport policy, transport and process optimization as well as modal shift actions towards more environmentally friendly modes. One of the on-going projects is the project platform BSR Access funded by the Intereg Baltic Sea Region (BSR) Program.Project platforms support cooperation among partners of existing projects and aim to increase impacts of EU-funded projects in the area. They ensure more intensive use, better durability…

The Natural Gas Public Company of Cyprus (DEFA) announced that a Chinese-led consortium has been chosen as the preferred bidder for the construction of a EUR 250 million liquified natural gas (LNG)  import terminal and related infrastructure.The authorities announced that the consortium of JV China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd, AKTOR S.A. and METRON S.A., with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co. Ltd and Wilhelmsen Ship Management Limited has emerged as the preferred bidder in a tender for the construction of infrastructure required for the introduction of natural gas.According to government sources, the successful tenderer will…

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has been awarded a contract to install its rope-free automated mooring system, AutoMoor, at the Old City Harbor at the Port of Tallinn, which is the biggest harbor in Estonia and one of the busiest passenger harbors in the world.In first quarter of 2020, Trelleborg will install six units of its AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm at the Old City Harbor’s Berth 13 cruise ferry wharf to facilitate faster berthing processes and improve safety levels within the port environment.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Romania's plans to grant EUR27.4 million investment aid to the Port of Galați, the largest sea-river port in the country.In April 2019, Romania notified the Commission of its plan to grant investment aid to the Port of Galați. The project consists of building a new multimodal platform with a capacity of 150,000 TEU/year in the area called Port Bazinul Nou.The total investment cost amounts to €89.9 million. It will be co-financed by the Romanian State, regional funds allocated via the Large Infrastructure Operational Program (LIOP) and private money coming from concessionaires of the platform…

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has signed off on the conversion of a dredger to dual-fuel operation on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO), and which is powered by MAN 35/44DF engines.The conversion of the ‘Samuel de Champlain’ is the first of its kind in Europe and is part of an EU-supported initiative to promote LNG propulsion in short-sea vessels operating along the European Atlantic coast.The 117m, 8,500m³ trailing suction hopper dredger is owned by Rouen-based GIE Dragages-Ports and operated by Port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire.

The first European dredger converted to dual-fuel LNG/MGO propulsion has departed Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (DSDu) to return to work, 23 months after contract signing. The 117m, 8,500 cu. m. trailing suction hopper dredger Samuel de Champlain is owned by Rouen-based GIE Dragages-Ports and operated by the Port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire. Damen delivered a turnkey package that included engineering, procurement, installation, commissioning and support. Key features included changing of the engines to dual-fuel (LNG/Diesel) models…

The EuroAsia Interconnector, the Israel-Cyprus-Greece electricity link remains on the official list of European projects of common interest (PCI) making it eligible to receive some €300 mln in EU grants for the Crete-Attica sector of the cable.The EuroAsia Interconnector remains committed to the timely implementation of the project, as submitted to the European Commission, with the Crete-Attica interconnector commissioned in June 2022 and the Crete-Cyprus Interconnector in December 2023, ending the energy isolation of Crete, and Cyprus, the last EU member state not interconnected to the European electricity grid.The European Commission’s…

The European Seaports Organisation (ESPO) said it strongly supports the European Parliament’s call for an increased transport budget of EUR33.5 bn ($38bln).The budget proposed by the European Commission is insufficient to complete the TEN-T network and to invest in a safe, modern and sustainable transport network. Moreover, ESPO believes the proposed EUR10 bn transfer from the Cohesion Fund to Council on the future Connecting Europe Facility (CEF II) should be safeguarded. ESPO also welcomes the Common Understanding between the European Parliament and CEF II.“The Parliament has given a strong signal in favour of an increased transport budget for the coming years. We embrace this decision and hope it will be confirmed in the further negotiations.

Dutch banking group ING and the European Investment Bank said they will provide a EUR 110 million ($123 million) loan to Dutch ship management firm Spliethoff’s Bevrachtingskantoor B.V. for retrofitting vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems.According to a European Commission press release, Spliethoff will use the loan to retrofit 42 of its vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems and ballast water management systems.The loan is part of the ING and EIB EUR300mln Green Shipping partnership signed in 2018, to support sponsors of green and sustainable projects in the maritime transport sector with advantageous financial terms.The loan will allow Spliethoff to have 17 vessels retrofitted with both exhaust gas cleaning systems and ballast water management systems…

The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism and the Industry Committee jointly adopted the Marinescu- Telička- Virrkkunen report on the Connecting Europe Facility proposal (CEF) 2021-2027.The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomes the demand for an increased budget for transport. Members of the committees voted to raise the general envelope of the CEF transport budget by €7bn to €33.51bn (USD 7.94 bln to USD 38 bln) in constant prices.The significant role of transport for the development of the Union had been equally recognised by the Parliament’s request for a higher CEF transport budget during the vote on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).ESPO particularly appreciates the recognition of the cross-border potential of port projects.

The ‘LNGHIVE2: Infrastructure and Logistics Solutions’ project, coordinated by Enagás, has been selected by the European Commission ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF) for funding.The initiative aims to boost the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel for maritime and rail transport. The total investment in the project will be around EUR14 million, of which close to EUR3 million will be financed by European funds.The initiative, coordinated by Enagás and promoted by Puertos Del Eastado, features the participation of six other partners: the Port Authority of Huelva, RENFE Mercancías, ADIF, Saggas, Marflet Marine, and the Valenciaport…

Baleària has begun retrofitting its Nápoles ferry to be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG)The ferry arrived at the  Gibdock shipyards for modification of the engines, and to install an LNG tank with the work expected to be completed by February 15.Thus, the two engines currently on the ship (MAN9L48/60) will become 9L51/60DF versions which are dual-fuel liquefied natural gas and diesel engines produced by the company MAN Energy Solutions. With this change in fuel, the ferry Nápoles is expected to reduce its CO2 emissions by 9…

The Port of Rotterdam said that it aims to become an international frontrunner in the decarbonization of maritime transport and has the ambition to improve the efficiency of port services and stimulate sustainable maritime shipping through facilitating the most promising digital innovations."Therefore, we are committed to making transport flows more sustainable and efficient, alongside the removal of bottlenecks in infrastructure. The Port of Rotterdam welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility II (CEF II) for the period 2021-2027," the port authories stated."The Port of Rotterdam also welcomes the proposed budget of €42.3 billion.

Three European Commission co-funded initiatives – Poseidon Med II, CYnergy and Elemed – are driving forward the uptake of alternative fuels in the Eastern Mediterranean region.Poseidon Med II: Creating a comprehensive and sustainable supply chain for LNG bunkeringThe Poseidon Med II project is a practical roadmap that aims to promote wide adoption of LNG as a safe, environmentally efficient and viable alternative fuel for shipping and help the East Mediterranean marine transportation propel towards a low carbon future.The project, which is co-funded by the European Union, involves three countries: Greece, Italy and Cyprus, six European ports (Piraeus, Patras, Lemesos, Venice, Heraklion, Igoumenitsa) as well as the Revithoussa LNG terminal.

The European Sea Ports Organisation congratulates Prof. Kurt Bodewig on his nomination as European Coordinator for Motorways of the Sea and is looking forward to a fruitful cooperation to further enhance the European maritime transport dimension and the role of European ports within the future Connecting Europe Facility and the TEN-T network.The European Commission appointed three new TEN-T Corridor Coordinators, while the mandate of eight Coordinators has been extended.European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) also welcomes the nomination of Ms Iveta Radičová for the Mediterranean Corridor and Ms Anne Elisabet Jensen for the Baltic–Adriatic…

The investment needs of European ports over the next ten years amount to 48 billion EUR. Many port investments score high in creating societal value but the return on investment for the investor, the port managing body, is often low and slow.For these investments, external funding is needed. Ports have only been able to obtain 4% of the CEF transport budget over the last three years. These are the main results from the Study European Seaports Organisation (ESPO) launched in spring 2018 in preparation of the Connecting Europe facility II proposal which came out on 6 June 2018.ESPO welcomes the CEF II proposal and appreciates the efforts…

A new marking vessel, built by MTG Dolphin for the Danube river shipping road was delivered today to the shipowner – the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube river. The ceremony was held in Rousse.The specialized vessel is part of a FAIRway Danube project, financed under the Connecting Europe Facility.The ship will sail the Danube as “Osam”, following a tradition at the Agency to name their ships after the river’s tributaries.Being part of the Agency’s fleet, the vessel will perform fairway designation to ensure seamless navigation by preventing seams from being jammed. “Osam” has an overall length of 34 m with a beam of 9.5 m and a draft of 1.25 m.