On February 4th, 2020, the world’s largest bunker supply vessel (BSV) for liquefied natural gas (LNG) “Kairos” conducted its 100th LNG bunker supply operation. This milestone was achieved during a bunkering operation for the product tanker “Gaia Desgagnes” at anchorage in front of the Swedish island Gotland.
Ten months after “Kairos” conducted its first LNG bunkering operation for the LNG-fuelled ferry MS “Visborg” at Gotland, the island in the Baltic Sea once again provided the perfect backdrop for this historic LNG operation.
Richard Schröder, CEO of Nauticor, underlined the importance of this operation: “Having achieved this milestone less than a year after we conducted the first LNG bunkering operation with “Kairos” makes us very proud. At the same time, we are happy that the receiving vessel is one of the LNG-fuelled tankers that are operated by the LNG front runners organized in the Gothia Tanker Alliance. Not only product tankers, but an increasing number of vessels are switching to LNG as fuel to decrease emissions. Being able to support those companies that are working every day on making shipping more sustainable motivates us in our ambition to provide the highest quality standards on a cost-efficient basis.”
The receiving vessel “Gaia Desgagnes”, built in 2018 as “Fure Vinga” and currently managed by the tanker pool of the Gothia Tanker Alliance, stopped in front of Gotland and received 140t of LNG, while on her way from Immingham, United Kingdom, to St. Petersburg, Russia. Like several LNG bunkering operations before, the operation was conducted under an LNG supply agreement, which was signed by Furetank Rederi, a member of the Gothia Tanker Alliance, and Nauticor in 2018.
Lars Höglund, Managing Director of Furetank, expressed his delight that yet another bunkering operation was conducted successfully: “By using LNG as fuel for our vessels, we are doing our share to reduce the environmental impact through lower emissions and less noise. To be able to do that, we need to have access to a comprehensive LNG supply network. Having conducted the first LNG bunkering operation with “Kairos” in April 2018, we are glad to see that since then the availability of LNG has improved significantly and that the availability of the environmentally-friendly fuel is no longer a hurdle in most of the areas we operate in, including the Baltic Sea.”
By using LNG, a wide range of emissions, especially sulphur, nitrogen, and particle matters, as well as carbon dioxide, can be significantly reduced. With this LNG supply infrastructure in place, a variety of companies, including Furetank and Nauticor, are already working on taking the next steps, including the use of Liquefied Bio Gas (LBG) and synthetic LNG (SNG), which have even greater potential to reduce emissions.
Nauticor GmbH & Co. KG
The Hamburg based company Nauticor GmbH & Co. KG is a leading supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for ships. As a part of The Linde Group, a world-wide leading gas and engineering company, Nauticor combines a broad range of competencies in cryogenic technology, logistics, and bunkering to develop LNG supply solutions for maritime customers in Northwest Europe, especially the North and Baltic Sea. It is Nauticor’s strategy to cover the entire LNG value chain from the terminal to the end customer, including sourcing, transport, storage and bunkering in strategically important ports.
For further information please contact:
Jan Schubert, Senior Manager Sales & Business Development, Nauticor
Phone: +49 (0) 40 468 959 331, Email: jan.schubert(at)nauticor(dot)de
photographs
photo 1: 20200205_Gaia Desgagnes receiving LNG from Kairos
photo 2: 20200205_Nauticor_Kairos conducts 100th LNG bunkering operation_final
(c) Nauticor GmbH & Co. KG
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