Consortium kicks off LNG-fueling project

The S/F SamueLNG project, led by French Dragages Ports (DP), with the aim to improve the sustainability of marine traffic through the use of LNG in France, Spain and the Netherlands kicked off at the end of last year.

The project, named Spanish/French Sustainable Atlantic Motorways of the seas Using as fuel for Engine LNG is co-funded by the European Union through its Connecting Europe Facility started in December 2016.

Key activities of the project include LNG retrofit of DP’s Samuel de Champlain, the 8,500-cbm trailing suction hopper dredger, from marine gas oil to a dual-source fuel engine system.

The EU tendering process, to choose the shipyard that will carry out the LNG conversion, will begin soon, the project participants said in a statement.

LNG bunkering studies, including a risk assessment in the port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire, a mobile bunkering unit in the Port of Gijon, and a floating device in the Port of Vigo, will be conducted under the project.

In addition, environmental impact statement studies in the ports of Rouen, Le Havre and Nantes Saint-Nazaire will be carried out together with the training of staff to be involved in the LNG operations in the Ports of Nantes Saint-Nazaire and Rouen.

The project consortium includes 12 partners, from along the Atlantic Arch, representing France, Spain and the Netherlands, namely, five port authorities, Nantes Saint-Nazaire, Le Havre, Rouen, Gijon and Vigo, two ship engineering and design companies, Inova and Ghenova, two energy supply companies Energias de Portugal and Gas Natural Fenosa, a short sea shipping company Suardiaz and the international dredging association, CEDA.

Overall, SamueLNG project, the first phase of the global project ‘Towards a Blue Atlantic Arch by 2025’, aims to improve the sustainability of marine traffic through the use of marine LNG as an alternative to conventional ship fuels for small vessels.

According to the ‘Third IMO Greenhouse Gas Study 2014’, maritime transport emits around 1000 million tons of CO2 annually and is responsible for about 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Shipping emissions are predicted to increase by between 50 percent and 250 percent by 2050, depending on future economic and energy developments and something clearly needs to be done.

Subsequently, the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has agreed that implementation of a 0.5 percent global sulphur cap on marine fuel will be brought forward to 2020, from the originally proposed date of 2025.

The S/F SamueLNG project aims to contribute to this by helping to achieve the objectives of the sustainability of the European maritime transport and the reduction in the sulphur content of marine fuels.