• 25 Feb 2018

In 2017, the sale of bunkered LNG in the Rotterdam Port increased from less than 100 tonnes in 2016 to 1,500 tonnes in 2017, while fuel oil bunkered was reduced from 10.1 million cubic meters  to 9.9 million cubic meters.

The port of Rotterdam is one of the top three bunker ports in the world, where  2,000 bunker deliveries take place there every month. Furthermore, Rotterdam is the first port in Europe where it is possible to bunker LNG (liquefied natural gas). To support the drive Rotterdam is offering seagoing vessels that bunker LNG in the port a 10% discount on gross seaport dues up until 2020.

The increase in LNG bunkers started with the bunkering of Wes Amelie, the world's first container ship that was converted to LNG propulsion. The vessel regularly bunkers at the City Terminal at the Prins Willem Alexanderhaven.

Last year, Shell also launched the ocean-going bunkering vessel Cardissa. The ship, which has Rotterdam as its work location, provide customers with LNG from the Gate Terminal in Rotterdam.

Gate terminal, owned by Gasunie and Vopak, is one of Europe’s largest LNG terminals. It consists of three 180,000-cbm storage tanks and has an annual regasification capacity of 12 Bcm – equal to around 180 cargoes per year.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) throughput volumes at the Dutch Gate terminal rose 16.5 percent in 2017, according to the data released by the Port of Rotterdam, reaching about 1.99 million mt in 2017, as compared to 1.70 million mt last year.