Antwerp Port Authority has teamed up with Det Norske Veritas (DNV), one of the world’s leading classification societies, to make LNG bunkering for barges and seagoing ships as safe and efficient as possible. In this way the Port Authority seeks to promote the use of LNG as a marine fuel.The Antwerp Port Authority aims to facilitate and encourage the use of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as a shipping fuel. For this purpose Antwerp Port Authority partnered with ship classification bureau Det Norske Veritas (DNV) at the end of January to ensure the safe and efficient bunkering of LNG by seagoing ships and barges in a busy port like Antwerp. DNV has been tasked with developing procedures for LNG bunkering operations which are specifically tailored to the situation in the port of Antwerp. With this measure Antwerp Port Authority underscores its ambition to safely and efficiently offer LNG to ships in Antwerp’s port by 2015, when the stricter IMO sulphur emission standards come into force.
Development of bunkering procedures
In the next few months DNV will develop procedures as an operational standard for the safe bunkering of LNG as a shipping fuel in the port. The classification bureau has several decades of expertise in risk management for the oil and gas industry amongst others. In addition to this DNV will identify the potential risks when there are several LNG-powered ships in Antwerp and consequently several LNG bunkering operations taking place simultaneously. The bunkering procedures developed will contain measures which ensure that the risks are acceptable regardless of the scenario.
Moreover, the procedures that are being developed for Antwerp will be made available to other European ports that also wish to offer LNG as a shipping fuel. In so doing Antwerp continues to fulfil its pioneering role in the switch to LNG.
Construction of an LNG bunkering vessel
Meanwhile Antwerp Port Authority is pressing ahead with preparations to receive LNG-powered vessels. In March 2012 it published a tender for the design and ultimately the construction of an LNG bunkering vessel. This vessel should be operational by 2015 and will be able to deal with the LNG demand of seagoing ships in the Antwerp port. Negotiations with the candidates for this sizeable contract are currently ongoing.
First bunkering operations
At the end of last year the Port of Antwerp marked a Belgian first. An LNG-powered barge was bunkered (fuelled up) with LNG from a truck for the first time ever in a Belgian port. Several safety and technical studies preceded this milestone, as well as a careful analysis of the locations, consultations with the fire and police departments and the drawing up of special truck-to-ship bunker checklists in consultation with various European port authorities. This event paved the way for the use of LNG as a shipping fuel in Antwerp, as evidenced by the various bunkering operations which have since taken place.
Source: Port of Antwerp