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Consultancy SSPA Sweden AB has published an LNG safety manual on bunkering procedures in the Port of Helsinki.

The safety manual outlines the safety regulations and demands that are required for safe handling during LNG bunkering operations within the operating area of the Finnish port.

LNG refuelling has been conducted in Helsinki since the summer of 2014, when the Finnish Border Guard's offshore patrol vessel Turva was completed. The vessel's primary bunkering location is in Vuosaari, where it refuels every other week.

The latest LNG ship to regularly bunker in Helsinki is Tallink's shuttle ferry, the Megastar, which operates on the Helsinki-Tallinn route. The Megastar is refuelled at the West Harbour five times a week. The ship's turnaround times are very short, thus LNG bunkering needs to be conducted in a precise, swift and safe manner.

In addition, ESL Shipping has ordered two LNG-fuelled dry bulk carriers which are expected to start operating in the Baltic Sea in early 2018. They are not likely to bunker at the central Energy berths on a regular basis, however.

Since the handling of LNG as fuel for ships in Helsinki is set to increase in the near future, the port decided that there was a need to produce a safety manual on LNG bunkering procedures in order to ensure safe LNG operations, as well as assuring harmonized procedures and regulations. In addition, Helsinki is a key Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) port.

Based on previous feasibility studies regarding possibilities and alternatives for LNG bunkering in Helsinki, it was concluded that the most practical solution for LNG refuelling of ships is ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering, whilst another option - truck-to-ship (TTS) bunkering - is also covered in the safety manual.

The Port of Helsinki says it has no plans to establish an LNG terminal in the near future since the operations of the port are quite geographically widespread and the demand for LNG is assumed to be spread out in different parts of the port.

To view the 35-page document, entitled 'Safety manual on LNG bunkering procedures for the Port of Helsinki', please click here.

Image: The M/V Megastar, operated by Tallink