Amsterdam Refuels Ship with LNG while Cargo is Unloaded

A ship has been bunkered with LNG at Amsterdam while simultaneously working cargo for the first time, the port’s operator said on December 10.

The Ramelia oil and chemicals tanker owned by Sweden’s Alvtank was refuelled by Dutch LNG supplier Titan LNG’s Flexfueler001 bunkering pontoon, the Port of Amsterdam said in a statement. The operation took place at the Oiltanking Amsterdam terminal while the Ramelia was unloading its cargo, and also involved Sweden’s Furetank Chartering.

Alvtank and Furetank are both partners in the Gothia Tankers Alliance joint venture.

Furetank operation manager Johan Kristensson described the LNG bunkering of vessels while they are loading and unloading as “a real enabler for LNG as a marine fuel.”

“Being able to bunker whilst working in a port not only saves turnaround time and money, it also has positive effects on the local environment since the emission involved in shifting operation is eliminated and it reduces working hours for the crew when we can avoid shifting,” he said. “We hope that more terminals will follow shortly as it is clear that LNG bunkering is possible and allowed by the ports and the terminals.”

Titan LNG signed a long-term contract with the Amsterdam port in January last year to base its Flexfueler001 vessel there.