Historic moment: First ship to bunker LNG at the Port of Gothenburg

Tomorrow, a milestone will be reached in the greening process that is taking place at the Port of Gothenburg. M/T Ternsund will bunker natural gas at the entrance to the port. This is the first time ever in Sweden that a tanker will bunker this substantially cleaner marine fuel.

“We have worked resolutely for a long time to create a situation where a ship could bunker liquefied natural gas in Gothenburg. We have now managed to achieve our ambition and we are extremely pleased with the outcome,” said Jill Söderwall, Vice President and head of commercial operations at the Energy Port in Gothenburg.

Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, becomes liquefied when cooled to -163°C. This new marine fuel offers considerable environmental benefits.

The first ship to bunker LNG is the newly constructed tanker M/T Ternsund, operated by the Swedish Donsö-based company Tärntank Ship Management AB. Claes Möller, Fleet Manager at the company, is looking forward to tomorrow’s event with great anticipation.

“This marks a new starting point for us. It heralds the beginning of a new era of more modern and considerably cleaner shipping. By opting for LNG, we will more than meet present and future environmental requirements. I’m proud that Terntank is at the forefront in promoting greener transport.”

Bunkering at the entrance to the port
Bunkering will take place at a protected location just off the island of Fotö at the entrance to the port. M/T Ternsund will bunker LNG from the Belgian bunkering vessel Coral Energy. The gas comes from the North Sea and has been supplied by the gas company Skangass.

“Bunkering can be carried out in Gothenburg thanks to the fact that we have produced safety instructions that govern the procedure. We are one of the first ports in the world to have a set of rules of this nature in place,” Jill Söderwall continued.

Several ships on the way
M/T Ternsund may be the first, but there will soon be several ships looking to bunker LNG on a regular basis at the Port of Gothenburg. Around 10 newly built LNG-powered vessels are on their way from the shipyards, all owned by Swedish tanker operators and all with routes that pass Gothenburg.

Discount for LNG-powered vessels
To induce more operators to switch to LNG, the Port of Gothenburg has introduced a substantial discount on the port charge. M/T Ternsund will be the first ship to qualify for the maximum discount – 30 per cent.

“With our substantially discounted port charge we can offer an excellent incentive to our shipping customers to switch from oil to liquefied natural gas,” said Jill Söderwall.

For further information, please contact Cecilia Carlsson, cecilia.carlsson@portgot.se, +46 (0)70-5086632.

Those who are interested in witnessing the bunkering can do so on Saturday, September 3 at 9am. The best vantage point is the Fotö Bridge.

Fact file: LNG

LNG is natural gas – mostly methane – that is cooled down to -163°C and converted temporarily into liquid form. Cooling means it takes up 600 times less space and it can be transported efficiently using sea, rail and road tankers. This new marine fuel offers considerable environmental benefits. Sulphur and particle emissions are reduced to almost zero, nitric oxide emissions by 85-90 per cent, and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent. LNG is colourless, non-toxic and has no smell.