Gazprom Germania GmbH, a subsidiary of Gazprom Export, has carried out its first bunkering of a ship with liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the port of Rostock, Germany.
In the early hours of the morning of February 27, 2016, a ship was fueled with LNG for the first time in the southern Baltic Sea. The bunkering took place at Germany’s largest Baltic Sea port. The ship bunkered was the M.V. Greenland, a cement carrier owned by the Norwegian shipping company KGJ Cement AS. The LNG was transported to Rostock by road tanker.
“We see great potential in the maritime sector,” said Timo Vehrs, Director of Business Development at Gazprom Germania GmbH. “Eco-friendly natural gas could replace thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil every year. We have now made a crucial first step in Rostock proving that LNG as a bunker fuel has already become a reality.”
“We are very pleased to witness this new development at our port,” added Jens Aurel Scharner, managing director of Rostock Port. “We are convinced that the opportunity to bunker ships with alternative fuels like natural gas will make us more competitive and encourage more eco-friendly ships to call in Rostock.”
LNG is growing in importance across the marine shipping industry in the North and Baltic Seas amid the stricter environmental standards that entered into force in January 2015.
According to the new standards, sulfur content in emissions from ships must not exceed 0.1 per cent (the limit used to be 1.0 per cent). This was part of the reason why back in 2014 Gazprom Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rostock Port on cooperation in the LNG market. This cooperation focuses on the development, marketing, and use of LNG in road transport and marine shipping in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.