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The Port Authority of Huelva has taken a step further towards the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to ships, after its board of directors approved the project specifications for the supply of LNG by barge at the Spanish port.

The news comes eight months after the board of directors approved, on 24th April, the project specifications for the supply of LNG to ships by truck at Huelva.

The Port of Huelva, with its regasification plant and its connectivity to the pipeline network, aims to become a hub for the supply of gas to ships in south-west Europe.

The regasification plant at Huelva is operated by Enagas, which runs the national gas grid and owns four LNG regasification terminals. The Huelva facility comprises five tanks with a total LNG capacity of 619,500 cubic metres.

Last year, in October, Enagas and the Port of Huelva inked a joint agreement to promote the LNG logistics services supplied at the Huelva regasification plant.

Under the agreement, both parties confirmed their intention to increase the competitiveness of LNG services and to examine the technical feasibility of LNG supply services provided by the regasification facility. Additionally, Enagas and the Port of Huelva agreed to look into issues related to the management and technical knowledge of handling and marketing of LNG.

Earlier this year, Enagas signed an agreement with the Port of Barcelona to convert the port into an LNG distribution hub for the Mediterranean. The project forms part of the 'Core LNGas Hive' initiative, whose objective is to develop an LNG logistics network to promote the use of the gas as a fuel for transport. The project is coordinated by Enagas and comprises more than 40 partners in Spain and Portugal.

In October, Bunker Index reported that Cepsa is to supply LNG to ships in Barcelona in 2018 via the first multi-product barge in Europe.