Titan commits to constructing Europe’s first LNG bunkering pontoon

The FlexFueler1, which has been financed with support from the Province of North-Holland, will be operational from 3Q18, and will be stationed in the Port of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It will act as a stationary delivery location to inland water barges and small sea-going vessels. Vessels that need bunkers to be delivered whilst simultaneously loading and discharging their own cargo will be served by deploying the FlexFueler alongside these larger vessels throughout the ARA region.

The FlexFueler1 is capable of delivering LNG at 30 – 600 m³/hr, and will initially feature two 380 m³ tanks, with the option to add an additional two tanks at a later date.

The CEO of Titan LNG, Niels den Nijs, said: “Since the launch of the FlexFueler project in 2016, we have continuously incorporated feedback from key stakeholders resulting in an optimised design in terms of both functionality and safety. Our team is grateful for all feedback received during the discussions with customers, ports, the shipyard and classification society, Bureau Veritas; all of whom contributed to improving the FlexFueler design. We believe that our decision to build the Titan LNG FlexFueler1 will contribute to the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel in this vital bunkering region.

“The FlexFueler offers tremendous versatility when loading and delivering LNG. On top of the stationary and manoeuvrable delivery methods she can load LNG from trucks, LNG transport ships or via the Gate terminal in Rotterdam. This flexibility supports our robust delivery promise while ensuring long term cost competitiveness.”

The Commercial Directors Marine Titan LNG, Michael Schaap, added: “The FlexFueler concept is the logical evolution from the truck-to-ship bunkering that Titan LNG carries out on a regular basis. We have a strong track record of making truck-to-ship as efficient as possible, but it is still far from optimal for a vessel owner because of the associated downtime. Our recently launched T-piece truck-to-ship operation, which allows for two trucks to discharge at the same time, already reduces the downtime. However, the FlexFueler represents a solution that resembles conventional bunkering practices, which is what the market demands.”

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/lng-shipping/31052017/titan-commits-to-constructing-europes-first-lng-bunkering-pontoon/