Italy’s terminal embraces maritime decarbonization with small scale LNG offering

Italy’s floating regasification terminal operator OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, controlled by Snam and Igneo Infrastructure Partners, has revealed the country’s first foray into a small scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) (SSLNG) service, achieved through a bidirectional LNG transfer at its floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) moored off the coast of Livorno.

The testing of this addition to the terminal’s menu involved the bidirectional transfer of liquefied natural gas from the small LNG carrier, the Axpo-operated Avenir Aspiration, to the FSRU Toscana terminal, and from the terminal to the small LNG carrier itself.

The completion of the SSLNG service’s commissioning enables OLT to offer the solution through the FSRU, which has been described as the first terminal in Italy to provide this service, enabling small LNG carriers to load LNG at the unit. This can be used in both the maritime and heavy road transport sectors.

Daniele Corti, Head Small Scale LNG at Axpo Group, noted: “Our contribution to the LNG -related activities evolution in Italy reaches today a new, important result. We are particularly proud to have actively participated in OLT’s testing activities and remain confident about the pivotal role that small scale can bring to the country’s energy supply and security.”

Afterward, the small scale LNG carriers (SSLNGc) will be able to refuel, directly at sea, liquefied natural gas-fueled naval units, or discharge the fuel at coastal storage facilities in major Mediterranean ports. LNG from SSLNGc could also be received for regasification and fed into the grid.

OLT believes that its terminal has been confirmed as a strategic hub for the development of maritime bunkering and the LNG supply chain, with the launch of small scale LNG, especially following the designation of the Mediterranean Sea as a sulphur emission control area (SECA) – which came into effect on May 1, 2025.

As a result, ships will have to use sulphur-reduced marine fuel throughout the Mare Nostrum. The terminal operator describes LNG as a fuel that significantly curbs emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter compared to other fossil fuels.

Giovanni Giorgi, CEO of OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, commented: “First of all, I would like to thank the operators of the terminal and all the companies that contributed to the construction of this new part of the plant. With the conclusion of the small scale LNG commissioning, our terminal is ready to offer a service that concretely meets the needs of decarbonization of maritime and land transport.

“This project is a demonstration of how existing infrastructure can evolve to support the energy transition, encouraging the use of alternative fuels such as LNG and, in the future, also bio-GNL, both in the transportation sector and for industrial and civil uses in areas not connected to the national gas grid.”

The company highlights that small scale users can procure LNG for loading onto the small LNG carrier through the delivery of a large LNG carrier in the month in which the LNG redelivery is scheduled and to the same user, on a small LNG carrier.

This can also be accomplished by purchasing LNG in tanks or at the flange from other regasification users that deliver a large LNG carrier in the month in which the LNG redelivery is scheduled.

In addition, the goal could be pursued through access to the virtual liquefaction service, as the small LNG carrier can refuel with an amount of LNG equivalent to that delivered to a platform supply vessel (PSV) by the user, with the option of using certified bio-LNG.

By offering the new SSLNG service and being located in Italy’s main logistics and port corridors, the FSRU Toscana terminal is believed to have strengthened its position as a hub for next-generation energy logistics in the heart of the Mediterranean.

Moored about 22 kilometers off the coast between Livorno and Pisa, the FSRU Toscana is connected to the national grid through a 36.5-kilometer-long pipeline, operated and managed by Snam, with around 29.5 kilometers at sea, 5 in the floodway, and the remaining 2 on dry land.