Port of Gothenburg hosts Swedish-produced biomethane bunkering pilot

Swedish Port of Gothenburg has hosted the bunkering of domestically produced liquefied biomethane to a tanker as it strives to become Scandinavia’s primary alternative fuels bunkering hub.

For this pilot operation, energy companies St1 and St1 Biokraft, in collaboration with Nordion Energi, delivered their Swedish-produced liquefied biomethane to the 2017-built Tern Ocean, an oil and chemical tanker owned by Terntank at quay 519 in the Port of Gothenburg.

In addition to being a pilot test for St1 and St1 Biokraft as suppliers of biomethane to the maritime sector, the operation was also described as a pressure test of the collaboration required across all parts of the value chain, including Terntank, gas infrastructure owner Nordion Energi, and the producers.

Biomethane as a renewable fuel is deemed well-suited for the maritime sector, with established routines for handling the fuel in a shipping context and growing long-term demand from shipping companies and increased availability among producers.

“In order to accelerate the maritime sector’s transition, it is essential that all actors across the value chain pull in the same direction, cooperate, and translate ambitions into practice. We are pleased to have all of this in place at the Port of Gothenburg,” said Therese Jällbrink, Head of Renewable Energy at the Port of Gothenburg.

Mattias Ivarsson, Marine Business Development Manager at St1, added: “This is the first time St1 and St1 Biokraft supply biomethane to shipping together. The fact that we can do this with self-produced biomethane at the Port of Gothenburg is a big and important step for us. By doing this together with Nordion Energi and the Port of Gothenburg, we are laying the foundation for a final production and supply chain here in the port.”

St1 and St1 Biokraft aim to become large-scale suppliers of liquefied biomethane for the maritime sector by the end of 2026, with several new production facilities planned across Sweden.

Nordion Energi intends to build a liquefaction facility for biomethane at the Port of Gothenburg in 2026, which will be connected to the West Sweden gas grid, creating a new opportunity for biomethane producers connected to the gas network to reach the maritime market.

“When the liquefaction plant is completed, we will have a good solution in place at the Port of Gothenburg. It is a strategic step towards our goal of gearing up and offering competitive LBG to the shipping industry and thereby take a leading position in this segment,” commented Ted Gustavsson, Head of Value Chain at St1 Biokraft.