Belgium: Port of Antwerp Leads LNG Storage and Bunkering Workgroup

Due to ever-stricter emission standards there is growing interest in the international shipping world for LNG as a fuel for ships. It is generally assumed that by 2015 a number of pioneers will have LNG-powered ships in their fleet. According to the ship classification bureau Det Norske Veritas, between 19 and 45% of ships should be powered by LNG by 2030.

This means that ports will face the challenge of offering safe storage and bunkering of LNG for shipping lines. To meet this shared challenge, a workgroup has been set up within the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI) to arrive at early standardisation of the safety aspects of LNG bunkering operations, so that these can be dealt with on a port-wide basis. The workgroup will also look at other subjects such as safety and computerisation in the port.

Who is involved

The International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) organises various international workgroups within the World Ports Climate Initiative, each focusing on a specific aspect of the environment in the port sector. The members of these workgroups are mainly port authorities, with a lead port for each workgroup. At the IAPH conference in Busan last year it was officially announced that a new, 7th workgroup had been set up specifically to deal with LNG-powered ships. This initiative found a very positive reception: the kick-off meeting was attended by representatives of the ports of Amsterdam, Bremen, Brunsbüttel, Frederikstad, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Oslo, Rotterdam and Stockholm, as well as the classification bureaus Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL-group) and the gas company Gasnor.

Antwerp Port Authority was asked to act as the lead port for this new workgroup. In view of the Port Authority’s great involvement in current LNG projects – such as the Flemish LNG study and the European Clean North Sea Shipping project – this invitation was enthusiastically received. Tessa Major, technical manager within the Port Authority’s Environment department, will chair this workgroup. The first meeting of the workgroup is planned for early May 2012 and will be hosted by Antwerp Port Authority.

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LNG World News Staff, March 28, 2012; Image: portofantwerp