Singapore LNG has welcomed FueLNG Bellina, Singapore’s first liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel, at the import terminal on Jurong Island, marking its first LNG reloading operation.
This represents a significant milestone in Singapore’s efforts to become Asia’s leading LNG bunkering hub, Singapore LNG Corporation informed in its social media statement.
FueLNG Bellina was built by Keppel Offshore & Marine’s Nantong shipyard and delivered in January. The 7,500 cubic metres vessel is owned by FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum.
FueLNG Bellina is to provide LNG bunker to LNG-powered vessels that call at the Port of Singapore, with its first contracts consisting of providing ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to the Shell-chartered tankers and for one of Hapag Lloyd’s container vessels.
The ship is also the world’s first bunkering vessel with Smart Notation for its suite of digital services, which enable remote monitoring and real-time support of vessel operations.
FueLNG, Keppel, and Shell also plan to further expand the LNG bunkering infrastructure in Singapore with the country’s first dedicated LNG bunkering facility with a capacity of 3,500 cubic metres. The facility is expected to be operational at the end of 2021.