Energy company Avenir LNG has ramped up LNG bunkering activity in Europe, signing a three-year LNG bunkering supply agreement with Swedish ferry-line Destination Gotland.
The agreement will see wholly owned subsidiary Avenir Marine supply up to 40,000 tons of LNG per annum as fuel for the vessels Gotland and Visby.
“Avenir Marine has been established to focus on providing competitive and flexible supply solutions for LNG and BioLNG as a marine fuel,” a spokesperson for Avenir said. “The first Bunker delivery under this new agreement was successfully conducted on 8th June 2022 and deliveries will continue through to Q2 2025.
Strengthening Baltic operations
Refuelling operations will be carried out by the bunker vessel Avenir Ascension which will deliver LNG via ship-to-ship transfer in the vicinity of Visby, on the west of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
“We are delighted to have entered into this agreement with Destination Gotland who have been a pioneer in the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel since 2018,” Peter Mackey, CEO of Avenir LNG Limited, commented, “In the coming months we will continue to expand our operations across the Baltic Sea. We look forward to building this long-term partnership with Destination Gotland and for many safe and reliable deliveries going forward.”
The Avenir Ascension was delivered earlier this year and features capacity to store 7,500 cubic metres of LNG.
Destination Gotland is a wholly owned daughter company of Rederi AB Gotland and operates a fleet of four high-speed Ro-Pax ferries. It runs state-subsidised domestic ferries from Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn to Visby.
“We appreciate Avenir Marine establishing operations in the Baltic Sea area providing new opportunities for LNG and BioLNG bunkering using their recently delivered Bunker Vessel,” Marcus Risberg, CEO of Destination Gotland, said. “Following the first successful bunker deliveries during the past days we look forward to develop a long-lasting partnership with Avenir Marine.”
Expansion at Lübeck
Avenir Marine also announced the first delivery of LNG and BioLNG to the Port of Lübeck in Germany in June. The RoPax ferry Nils Holgersson was refuelled at the Baltic Sea port with a fuel mix containing 10% BioLNG.
Bunkering was completed in partnership with German LNG infrastructure provider LIQUIND 24/7and biomethane trader Landwärme. It was the first step in a long-term cooperation between Avenir LNG and the vessel operator TT-Line for the supply of LNG and BioLNG for two new RoPax ferries that will operate in Sweden, Germany, and Poland.
“We are excited about this successful first delivery of LNG to TT-Line in Lübeck. The fact that 10% of the delivery was Bio-LNG underlines the commitment of all parties involved to reduce emissions and increase the sustainability of shipping even further through the development of a suitable small-scale LNG infrastructure,” Mackey commented.
