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On May 26, the Avenir Accolade tanker arrived at the Higas coastal depot in the port of Santa Giusta - Oristano in Sardinia, to carry out the first refueling of LNG. In the following days, the first plant of this type in the Mediterranean went into operation.
Construction of the depot began in 2018 on the basis of a project initiated in 2014 by the Italian Gas and Heat and CPL Concordia, with which Norwegian shipowner Stolt Nielsen joined. The depot, with a capacity of 9,000 cubic meters of LNG, is now within the perimeter of the new Avenir LNG company, in which the three companies, joined by Golar LNG and Hoegh LNG, regasification plant operators, participate.
The tanker, the third of the Avenir Group with a capacity of 7,500 cubic meters, unloaded about 7,000 cubic meters supplied at the Croatia LNG regasification terminal on the island of Krk, a few kilometers from Trieste. Just launched, the Accolade was refueled for the voyage to the Mediterranean by the sister ship Advantage in the Malaysian Sea.
After a 4-day stop, the ship resumed its voyage to Brazil where it is intended as an operational area. The fourth of the tankers, similar to the first three, will be operating on behalf of Avenir LNG in the Mediterranean, with supplies to the depot expected monthly, on delivery from the Chinese shipyard Keppel Offshore & Marine in Nantong. This type of vessel can also carry ship-to-ship supplies to vessels using LNG. Avenir has two more 20,000 m3 LNG tankers under construction.
In the previous days, to start operation of the plant, numerous LNG tankers were received by ferry from Livorno, for about 500 cubic meters in addition to nitrogen loads for the initial cooling of the plant.
The President of the Region, Christian Solinas, the Deputy Minister of Mise Alessandra Todde, the President of Higas, Roberto Madella and the President of the Port Authority of the Sea of Sardinia, Massimo Deiana, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the plant. The LNG available at the plant will contribute to the methanisation of Sardinia, the only Italian region not to have this fuel.
"It is a process that began in 2014, culminating last April 26 with the obtaining of the authorization for the provisional operation of the Higas coastal deposit, with a capacity of 9,000 cubic meters - explains the President of Higas, Roberto Madella - Path that united the far-sightedness and determination of its shareholders for the unity of purpose of the authorities and the territory, who have jointly worked to achieve the purpose. This is a decisive step for us towards the complete functionality of the plant which will be able to start commercial activity at full service by mid-June. Now a new challenge awaits us: the conversion of energy consumption to LNG. We count once again in the collaboration of the inhabitants of the island who will be able to benefit, from now on, from the technical, economic and environmental advantages resulting from the use of methane".
