RMK Marine Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey, has laid the keel for an 8000 m3 inland waterways liquified natural gas (LNG) bunker barge owned and operated by LNG Shipping (a joint venture between Victrol and Groupe Sogestran) and long-term time chartered by Shell.
The companies said the barge, named LNG Erasmus, will be delivered to Shell in Q2 2024 for operations in the ports of Zeebrugge, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands (ARA region).
To note, according to the companies, RMK Shipyard was selected to construct the barge, Gas&Heat will supply the tanks and cargo handling system, and MAN will source the gas engines.
Tahir Faruqui, head of downstream LNG at Shell, said: “The new barge further expands Shell’s portfolio of LNG bunker assets in the ARA region, underpinning our expansion plans for marine LNG and collaboration within the shipping industry to transition to lower-carbon fuels.”
This is the second cooperation between Shell and LNG Shipping in regard to large-capacity vessels. The first involves a 3000 m3 bunker barge LNG London.