Shell bolsters LNG bunkering business, inks bunker barge deal

The Hague-based LNG giant Shell on Friday said it has strengthened its position in the LNG bunkering business with the arrival of its bunker vessel, Cardissa and an LNG bunker barge charter deal. 

Shell’s 6,500 cubic meters LNG bunkering vessel, built by the STX Offshore & Shipbuilding’s yard in South Korea will enable the company to serve customers with LNG fuel from the Gate terminal in Rotterdam.

The vessel will load the chilled fuel from the terminal’s third berth and deliver it to LNG-powered ships in northwest Europe.

Additionally, the company’s unit Shell Western LNG finalised a long-term agreement with a joint venture between Victrol and CFT to charter an LNG bunker barge with a capacity to carry 3,000 cubic metres of LNG fuel.

Operating out of Rotterdam, the LNG bunker barge will provide bunkering services to vessels operating on Europe’s inland waterways, Shell said in its statement on Friday.

“LNG as a marine fuel has an important role to play in the future energy mix,” said Steve Hill, executive vice president of Shell Energy, adding the company will work further on building a reliable supply chain as IMO’s global 0.5 sulphur cap is about to enter force in 2020.

Due to the restrictions, more ship owners and operators are choosing cleaner-burning LNG fuel over traditional marine fuels, Shell said.