Polish natural gas companies PGNiG and LOTOS recently completed two commercial bunkering ops of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in what PGNiG says are the first operations of this kind carried out at seaports in Gdańsk and Gdynia.
The first bunkering took place on March 13 and saw chemical tanker Fure Valo receive 54 tonnes of LNG fuel.
In the second bunkering, which took place on March 18, bulk carrier Ireland received 18 tonnes of LNG fuel.
Worth noting is the fact that the 4,500 dwt Ireland previously became the first vessel to be successfully bunkered with LNG at the Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) in May 2018 .
“Bunkering of ships with natural gas in liquefied form is another of many possibilities of using gas, which PGNiG imports to Poland from Qatar, Norway and the USA through the President Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal in Świnoujście,” commented Maciej Woźniak, Vice-President of the PGNiG Management Board for Trade.
According to the directive on the development of alternative fuels infrastructure, by the end of 2025 at the latest, a sufficient number of LNG bunkering points should be created in seaports. In case of Poland, these are to be: Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście.
PGNiG and LOTOS said LNG bunkering services are now a permanent offer of both entities and can be provided in both Tri-City ports.