Three More Ports Join Global LNG Bunkering Focus Group

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)said July 10 that three more ports have joined the focus group which was formed to strengthen the network of LNG bunker-ready ports and to bolster efforts towards enabling the uptake of LNG as marine fuel.

China's Ningbo-Zhoushan, the French port of Marseille Fos and Vancouver in Canada have joined the Port of Singapore and seven other organisations to participate in the international LNG bunkering port focus group.

The inclusion of Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan was formalised July 10 through a signing ceremony held at the sideline of the third Port Authorities’ Roundtable (PAR) organised by the Ningbo Municipal Port Administration Bureau. With this expansion, the network will comprise a total of eleven ports and maritime administrations across Asia, Europe and North America, MPA said.

The focus group was first formed in 2014 by MPA, Antwerp Port Authority, Port of Rotterdam and Port of Zeebrugge. In 2016, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan and Ulsan Port Authority, South Korea also joined the group. The first meeting was held in April 2017 in Yokohama, Japan, where the focus group agreed to focus collaborative efforts on enabling the uptake of LNG as bunkers globally.  

Shardul Sharma