Poland's Szczecin Port Sees First LNG Bunkering

Poland's Szczecin port saw its first bunkering of a vessel with LNG on November 5, Polish gas supplier PGNiG announced in a statement.

The bunkering was a joint operation by PGNiG and Polish oil refiner Lotos, a provider of various marine fuels. The pair refuelled the Scheldt River vessel, which is currently working to deepen the Swinoujscie-Szczecin waterway to allow Szczecin to accommodate vessels twice the size.

PGNiG now provides LNG bunkering services at five Polish ports: Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Police, Gdynia and Gdansk. It has been working with Lotos in the field of LNG for several years, with the pair having undertaken dozens of refuelling operations together.

"We are pleased that the service is gaining popularity and that it can now be provided in other Polish ports besides Gdansk and Gdynia," PGNiG acting president Jaroslaw Wrobel said. "We believe that LNG fuel is the future of maritime transport in the Baltic Sea. Our business relationship with Grupa Lotos in this area is a good example justifying the existence of the  multi-utility group we will soon be a part of."

Both companies are set to be acquired by another Polish oil refiner PKN Orlen, as part of government plans to merge the country's biggest energy groups.

"Energy transition motivates us to step up our efforts in the field of alternative fuels. One of our development directions is LNG, a green and safe fuel," Lotos president Pawel Jan Majewski commented. "In order to promote this market segment, we need to develop logistics and LNG bunkering infrastructure. Grupa Lotos is analysing various projects in this area."

Lotos recently completed a feasibility study on constructing a small-scale LNG transshipment terminal in Gdansk, where PGNiG wants to develop a larger regasification plant.