EU backs UK on LNG bunkering

The EU’s TEN-T Programme will support with almost €4 million the pilot construction of the UK’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker at Teesport near Middlesbrough and the LNG propulsion system of two new ships.

The project will help reduce maritime pollution and support the roll-out of LNG technology in the UK, the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) said in a statement.

This project is a real breakthrough in the use of LNG for short sea shipping as it will develop a dedicated LNG supply and demand chain in the UK. It will also demonstrate the viability of LNG as an environmentally sound alternative to present marine fuels, as well as its high potential for short sea shipping in the UK and the North Sea, the statement says.

The project will deploy an LNG bunkering facility in the Port of Teesport and test an innovative LNG fuel system on two ethylene carriers in the sea.

It will also encourage the use of LNG for marine and road transport in the UK by performing technical and market studies in other ports with the aim to roll-out LNG technology countrywide.

The project was selected for funding with the assistance of external experts under the TEN-T Annual Call 2013, priority ‘Decarbonisation / oil substitution or environmental cost reduction’. Its implementation will be monitored by INEA and is to be completed by December 2015.

Press Release