LNG

Gasum, the Finnish state-run natural gas and LNG company, has extended its bunkering services in the Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam (ARA) region by locating its bunkering vessel “Kairos” in the area.

“This supports Gasum’s strategy to expand its maritime services in Northwest Europe,” said the Helsinki-based company.

Previously Kairos has been operating flexibly in the North Sea and Baltic Sea and only arrived in the ARA area upon request.

The 4,376 deadweight ton vessel is 117 metre in length and 20 metres wide with capacity of 7,500 cubic metres.

“The new location of 'Kairos' enables Gasum to deliver bunkers of LNG, the cleanest available marine fuel to its clients in Northern Continental Europe, whenever they have the need,” said Gasum.

Gasum’s Jacob Granqvist, Vice President of Maritime, said he was happy to have the “Kairos” deployed in the ARA.

Market growth

“We are now constantly present in the region and can better cater for the needs of our old and new LNG customers in the maritime segment,” explained Granqvist.

“LNG is the cleanest available marine fuel, and it’s rapidly becoming the most commonly used alternative to traditional fuels,” he noted

Gasum also owns a network of Nordic terminals and facilities comprising a small-scale liquefaction plant and an expanding chain of LNG fuel stations for vehicles.

Its terminals include Sweden’s Nynashamn facility with 20,000 cubic metres capacity of storage and purchased in April 2020 by Gasum from Germany’s Linde AG.

The Finnish company additionally has a small-scale liquefaction plant in Risavika, near Stavanger in Norway, while owning and operating other small regasification and import terminals in Ora and Alesund in Norway and Lysekil in Sweden.

It partly owns the Pori LNG import terminal in Finland and has a stake in the Finnish Tornio Magna regasification facility.

Gasum, the Finnish state-owned LNG distribution company and regasification and liquefaction infrastructure owner in the Nordic region, is expanding its geographic reach to France after already entering the Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam region, also known as the ARA area.

“As part of this strategy, Gasum has now obtained a licence to deliver maritime LNG in France, allowing it to add French ports and waters to its supply network,” said Gasum.

The new LNG distribution licence will allow Gasum to deliver to maritime customers in France and to offer LNG, a cleaner shipping fuel, to a larger number of customers.

In addition, the licence will improve the geographic availability of LNG to more European ports.

“Obtaining this licence marks another milestone in our quest to increase the outreach of our maritime LNG deliveries,” said Jacob Granqvist, Vice President at Gasum.

“It underlines Gasum’s commitment to act as a reliable European maritime LNG supplier,” added Granqvist.

At the end of 2020, Gasum extended its bunkering activities to include the ARA area.

The expansion is possible due to a new agreement with Norwegian oil and gas major Equinor for the ARA, an important trading hub in the rivers and canals and ports network where barges and small ships and tankers conduct trading and supply operations.

Gasum is now delivering LNG bunkering supplies to Equinor in the ARA. Gasum and Equinor have been co-operating on various projects and LNG supply chain development for Equinor’s vessels since 2011.

The Finnish company has been fuelling Equinor’s oil tankers that are shipping crude oil from North Sea to Swedish and Baltic ports.

The bunkering is mainly performed by Gasum’s small-scale bunkering vessels such as the “Coralius” and the “Kairos”.

Gasum owns a network of LNG import terminals, a small-scale liquefaction plant and an expanding chain of LNG fuel stations for vehicles in the Nordic region.

Its terminals include Sweden’s Nynashamn small-scale facility with 20,000 cubic metres capacity of storage and purchased in April 2020 by Gasum from Germany’s Linde AG.

The Finnish company also has a small-scale liquefaction plant in Risavika, near Stavanger in Norway, in addition to owning and operating other small regasification and import terminals in Ora and Alesund in Norway and Lysekil in Sweden.

It also partly owns the Pori LNG import terminal in Finland and has a stake in the Finnish Tornio Magna regasification facility.

The Tornio terminal in Northern Finland is the largest in the Nordic region.

It is located on the Swedish border which allows it to serve Gasum’s customers in Finland, Sweden and Norway.

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