Rapid refueling service available at Dunkirk LNG terminal

Dunkerque LNG, the operator of France’s Dunkirk liquefied natural gas import terminal, has started its new rapid refueling service at the terminal.

Dunkerque LNG said that the rapid refueling service would significantly reduce the stopover time during reloading.

The maximum reloading flow-rate has been raised from 4,000 cbm per hour to 8,800 cbm, which means the ships are stopped for half as long.

Juan Vazquez, general manager of Dunkerque LNG, said: “It is extremely costly to transport LNG from the production site to the point of consumption. Reloading a tanker faster means less downtime for the ship and, therefore, major savings for our customers.

“With a flow-rate of 4,000 m3 per hour, it took 40 hours to reload a tanker. Now, at 8,800 m3 per hour, it only takes 20 hours.”

According to the company, this new service required large-scale renovation work. Eight pumps were replaced on tanks 1 and 2.

The increase in refueling speed also causes a rise in the gas vapor that must be recovered then treated before being sent to the gas transmission network.

“That is why we had to install an additional compressor; now we can process 48 tonnes of gas per hour instead of the previous rate of 30,” added Vazquez.

Verification tests were completed back in March 2019, and the service is now available.