Ternsund to become first vessel to bunker LNG at Port of Rotterdam

The Port of Rotterdam has announced that the Ternsund product tanker, which is currently on its maiden voyage, will become the first sea-going vessel to bunker LNG at the port. The vessel will also become, therefore, the first to benefit from Rotterdam’s LNG bunker incentive of a 10% discount on sea port tariffs.

The Ternsund is operated by the Swedish line, Terntank. It will arrive at Vopak Botlek in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in order to put through a shipment of naphtha. Following this, the vessel will travel to the Willem Alexander Terminal, where it will be bunkered at ECT’s former Home Terminal. The procedure will take approximately three days, because the Ternsund is presently still operating on – amongst other things – marine gas oil (MGO). The fuel tanks need to be cooled before they can be filled with LNG.

The LNG break-bulk terminal at Yukonhaven will open at the end of 2016, and LNG bunkering in Rotterdam will become significantly easier from 2017 onwards. During that year, local services will be expanded, with a bunkering vessel dedicated to supplying LNG. The port authority is reportedly aiming to turn the Port of Rotterdam into a major LNG bunkering hub, and is currently promoting the transition from heavy fuel oil (HFO) to LNG in the ocean shipping sector.

Edited from press release by David Rowlands

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/04082016/ternsund-to-become-first-vessel-to-bunker-lng-at-port-of-rotterdam-2858/