LNG Bunkering Feasible for Southern France
Port of Marseille-Fos has welcomed confirmation from a working group that it is feasible to set up and operate LNG bunkering at both Marseilles and Fos ports.
It said November 19 that the working group was set up end-2017 and includes shipowners, LNG supplier Total, and Fosmax and Elengy – respectively operators of the Fos Cavaou (see banner photo above) and Fos Tonkin terminals – which has decided it is feasible to set up the bunkering facility "within a limited timeframe consisting of: rapid development of truck-refuelling logistics that would initially serve ferries, with this continuing to be an option should refuelling vessels be unavailable; putting one or more refuelling vessel(s) in place that would be suitable for cruise ships and ferries as well as container ships".
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Fosmax LNG in particular is investing at its terminal to adapt it to receive small LNG carriers – a service that should be available in summer 2019 (50 annual slots), while Elengy is studying an upgrade of its facility to load small LNG carriers (100 annual slots from 2021), the port authority said.
Fosmax announced April 2017 that it expected to launch LNG truck-loading at Cavaou in summer 2019; both it and Elengy signaled May 2017 they would enable bunker vessel loading at Cavaou in 2H2019.
French shipowner CMA-CGM, whose home port is Marseilles, placed an order for nine giant newbuild LNG-fuelled containerships in China in 2017; later that year, the owner signed a deal with Total for 0.3mn mt/yr of LNG as a bunker fuel for 10 years starting 2020. Marseilles is France's main seaport, handling containers and bulk cargoes, while Fos is a major oil refining and LNG import port.