LNG

Blue Grid, an Athens-based company leading the development of the LNG and alternative fuels market in southeast Europe, has joined the Molgas group of companies after receiving a significant investment.

Blue Grid, incorporated in 2017, is developing alternative fuels supply chains delivering environmental, economic, and operational benefits to a wide range of customers.

The company’s current activity focuses on supplying LNG as a fuel to three main customer segments in industry, road transport and for marine bunkering.

Blue Grid said its broader scope includes LNG, renewable methane and bioLNG.

Molgas is a leading downstream supplier of LNG in Europe, providing volumes to over 200 industrial customers, 34 LNG fuelling stations, as well as a growing number of marine customers.

The company is active in eight countries in Europe, including Norway through its fully owned subsidiary Gasnor, a company acquired from Shell in 2021.

Molgas, which has its headquarters in Madrid, is owned by funds managed by InfraVia Capital Partners, a Paris-based private equity firm specializing in infrastructure investments.

As a new part of Molgas, Blue Grid said it would focus on accelerating growth in LNG and bioLNG supply in the broader region of southeast Europe and the East Mediterranean.

“The Molgas investment comes at an opportune time, considering the imminent commissioning of the Revithoussa truck-loading terminal, anticipated for the summer of 2022, which will allow reliable and competitive supply of LNG to final customers in the SE European region,” said Blue Grid.

The Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) is the owner of the Revithoussa LNG terminal.

DESFA is also constructing a small-scale LNG reloading jetty on Revithoussa island and it is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.

Piraeus bunkering

Blue Grid said it aimed to be one of the first physical suppliers of LNG to marine customers in the Port of Piraeus, and to this end, is planning to have an LNG bunkering vessel available in alignment with the commissioning of the jetty.

“We are proud to have Molgas onboard, and view this investment as a vote of confidence in the work that we have been doing in the region over the past years” said Sofoklis Papanikolaou, founder and Chief Executive of Blue Grid.

Fernando Sarasola, the Chief Executive of Molgas, said that southeast European was the next frontier for small-scale LNG and alternative fuels.

“Blue Grid is perfectly positioned to capture this market. We are very excited to be joining our forces and I am confident that together we will be bringing a lot of value to a wide range of customers,” added Sarasola.

Gasnor, the LNG and gas operator formerly owned by Royal Dutch Shell and sold to Molgas Energy Holdings, said it signed an agreement with German oil and gas company Wintershall Dea to supply LNG fuel to vessels serving exploration and production platforms on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The first ship to receive LNG fuel will be the offshore supply vessel (OSV) “Viking Princess” and the fuelling will take place at the bunkering terminal at Mongstad Base, one of Norway’s main supply sites serving 23 fixed offshore installations and on average 3-6 rig operations annually in the northern North Sea.

The 90-metres long and 21m wide vessel “Viking Princess” is powered by dual-fuel engines that can use both MGO (Marine Gasoil) and LNG and also has a battery pack for further energy management.

“When using LNG-powered supply vessels, the emissions associated with the offshore supply services will be reduced by around 30 percent,” said Gasnor.

Gasnor’s sale to Madrid-based Molgas Energy by Shell was completed in April 2021. The value of that transaction was never disclosed.

Gasnor is now a well-established downstream LNG company with small-scale LNG production facilities and headquartered in Avaldsnes in Norway.

Shell had owned the firm since 2012 and one of its notable projects was to construct the LNG import facilities for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar when it turned to gas-fired power.

Spain’s Molgas like Gasnor has pioneered the development of the small-scale LNG business in Europe.

Gasnor and Molgas plan to expand their LNG bunkering and clean fuel activities.

Molgas provides integrated LNG services to more than 100 off-grid industrial customers, owns and operates LNG filling stations for heavy-duty trucks and provides bunkering infrastructure at ports in Spain.

Molgas itself is majority owned by InfraVia, a Paris-based private equity firm, specializing in infrastructure and technology investments.

Norwegian company Hoglund Marine Solutions has been awarded a contract by shipping company Bergen Tankers to deliver a cargo-handling system for the LNG bunkering vessel “Bergen LNG”.

“As part of a long-term charter with Shell Gasnor, the vessel will be the first LNG bunkering vessel to operate in Norway and will be retrofitted from an existing fuel oil bunkering ship,” explained Hoglund.

“Previously known as ‘Oslo Tank’, the ‘Bergen LNG’ vessel will operate in Bergen harbour from the fourth quarter of 2020 and will serve future LNG-powered cruise ships in the Hurtigruten and Havila coastal routes,” added Hoglund.

Hoglund said it would supply both hardware and automation solutions to ensure safe and efficient operations, including an IMO Type C cargo tank, cargo pumps, bunker manifolds, custody transfer system, and a ship-to-ship transfer system.

“Hoglund has worked on several of the world’s current LNG bunkering vessels, and each project has demonstrated how specialist expertise is needed to integrate and control the systems of these vessels safely and reliably,” said Peter Morsbach, the Director of Projects at Hoglund.

“Retrofits should be an easy way for an owner to benefit from the shift to alternative fuels, but there are complications that can stand in the way that require more than the standard one-size-fits-all solution to overcome,” he explained.

“Unlike a newbuild, which belongs to the yard until delivery, a retrofitted vessel is the property of the owner throughout its refitting,” added Morsbach.

“At Hoglund, we support the owner by drawing upon our dedicated expertise and vast experience to ensure an in-time delivery, installation of our solutions and overall integration of loose ends,” he stated.

Ingemar Tonder Presthus, the Technical & Marine Manager at Bergen Tankers, said that a retrofit was a complex technical challenge from both a hardware and software engineering point of view.

“Hoglund was an ideal choice, based on their track record fitting automation systems for LNG bunker vessels and other vessel types elsewhere in the world, and their ability to execute a retrofit quickly,” he added.

Chart Industries, the maker of equipment for the liquefied natural gas and industrial gas industries, posted a rise in net income and revenues as it benefited from orders across all sectors from large liquefaction plants to small-scale LNG and completed another acquisition.