Image: Terntank

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The Terntank vessel Tern Sea was the first ship to take on gas fuel at the Port of Gothenburg's new bunker terminal, which was launched on November 27.

The 2016-built tanker was refuelled with two types of gas during the delivery operation - both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied biogas (LBG).

The LNG and LBG was supplied by Norway's Barents NaturGass, and the LBG was produced by FordonsGas at its facility in Lidkoping, located north of Gothenburg.

Designed to handle both LNG and LBG, which are largely identical in terms of chemical composition, the Gothenburg terminal has the flexibility to meet the needs of ships capable of running on either of the two gas fuels.

It is the first facility in Sweden that enables tankers to bunker from a fixed pipeline as they load and discharge, thus helping to reduce the turnaround time.

Also, with the launch, customers calling at the Scandinavian port are now able to bunker gas fuel either ship-to-ship, directly from a road truck or pipe-to-jetty. All three methods are possible whilst vessels are loading or unloading.

The supply of LNG to the bunker terminal is via trailers or tank containers, which can be unloaded at a discharge station. The gas is then distributed via pipeline to the vessels at the quayside.

The facility is scalable and can be expanded to meet the needs of the market.

LNG bunkering growth

Gothenburg's port authority offers an environmental discount on port fees as part of its effort to increase the number of calls by LNG-powered ships.

In terms of LNG bunkering statistics, Gothenburg has recorded positive growth since the first LNG bunkering operation in the autumn of 2016. In the first full year, 111 LNG-fuelled ships called at the port.

This year, meanwhile, LNG was bunkered on 44 occasions between January and April.