Nordic countries started to use BioLNG as a marine fuel

The Finnish company Gasum, active in the production and distribution of natural gas, the shipping company ESL Shipping and the Swedish steel producer SSAB have started tests for the use of bio-LNG as a marine fuel.

In particilar, Gasum supplied one of ESL Shipping's LNG-powered ships, the M / S Viikki, with LNG and bio-LNG. The ship, used to transport iron for SSAB, was supplied to the company's production facility in Raahe on Finland's northwest coast. The fuel was taken from the 28,500 m³ LNG storage site in Gasori in Pori, Finland.

The aim of the operation was to assess the feasibility of using small quantities of biogas for maritime transport in order to further reduce emissions, said SSAB.

The wider use of biogas as a marine fuel has been delayed by its relatively limited availability. There is also the "cost factor" to consider, but more and more companies are evaluating the benefits of further reducing emissions through the use of Biogas.. Biogas is already used as a fuel in the transport sector, in particular in the public road transport sector.

Gasum and ESL are considering feeding the M / S Viikki, and the other ship in the fleet LNG-powered, Haaga, entirely with bio-LNG, thus obtaining significant benefits in terms of reducing emissions.

In parallel, in Norway, the biogas producer Biokraft signed a multi-year agreement (seven and a half years) for the supply of bio-LNG to the Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten. The agreement provides for the periodic delivery of bio-LNG to the ships of the Norwegian company's fleet. The first delivery is scheduled for the current year.

By 2021, Hurtigruten plans to equip at least six ships ot its fleet with hybrid propulsion devices with the combination of LNG, Bio LGN and electric batteries.