---

A pilot project involving the bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the truck-to-ship method was launched at the port of Vlissingen, Netherlands, on April 11.

During the pilot launch, LNG was refuelled from a truck on the quay at the port.

Prior to being bunkered, LNG was first liquefied via a cooling process at -162 °C. At this temperature and atmospheric pressure, the gas condenses to a liquid, thus reducing the volume by 600 times (compared to when it is in gaseous state), and the gas can be more easily transported and stored.

Port company Zeeland Seaports has stated that it will determine whether LNG bunkering will be carried out on a regular basis at the port after examining the results of the pilot project, which is scheduled to run until the end of the year.

The project came about after Zeeland Seaports was approached in October 2015 by Rotterdam-based gas transportation specialist Chemgas Shipping B.V. to examine the potential for LNG bunkering via the truck-to-ship method.

This led to the development of a plan entitled 'Pilot LNG bunkering truck to ship' in cooperation with regional safety and environmental associations.

The bunkering of LNG in Zeeland - the westernmost province of the Netherlands, which includes the ports of Vlissingen and Terneuzen - will "increase the attractiveness of the ports and significantly reduce CO2 and nitrogen emissions," Zeeland Seaports says.

LNG is also referred to in Zeeland Seaports' recently published 'Strategic Master Plan', which includes the objective to develop facilities or solutions for LNG bunkering and become a key player in the LNG supply chain by 2020.