LNG

Peninsula, the leading global independent marine energy supplier founded to fill a gap in the Gibraltar market for bunkering services, has successfully completed the supply of liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel to a crude oil tanker owned by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping.

The delivery took place at the Gibraltar Port’s Western Anchorage.

Peninsula’s “Levante LNG”, the company’s first purpose-built 12,500 cubic metres capacity LNG bunkering vessel, supplied the EPS Suezmax crude oil tanker, the “Starway”, with around 3,500 cubic metres of LNG.

“EPS vessels like the ‘Starway’ and her sister, the ‘Greenway’, the world’s first LNG fuelled Suezmax tanker, are paving the way for a lower carbon future,” said Nacho de Miguel, Peninsula’s Head of Alternative Fuels and Sustainability.

“Through our investment in assets like the ‘Levante LNG’ we can close the supply chain loop to give these vessels access to lower-carbon fuels in the world’s leading ports,” De Miguel stated.

“I want to thank EPS for partnering with Peninsula to help power them towards a more sustainable future,” he added.

The EPS General Manager of Operations, Captain Suraj Sundaresan, said Gibraltar was one of those ports that was making efforts to cater for vessels seeking alternative fuels like LNG.

“Peninsula bridges shipowners like us who are at the forefront of the industry’s energy transition, and Ports who are evolving to host alternative-fuel powered vessels,” explained Sundaresan.

“Our vision to lower emissions is mirrored in Peninsula’s desire to provide lower carbon options today. The availability of low-carbon fuel supply is incredibly important, he added.

“As the demand for alternative fuels towards decarbonisation increases, we rely on suppliers like Peninsula to help keep our state-of-the-art alternative-fuelled ships moving,” Sundaresan declared.

Peninsula’s “Levante LNG” bunker ship arrived at her Mediterranean home at the end of September and is now fully operational in the Strait of Gibraltar and the ports of the Western Mediterranean.

The bunkering company is also building its cruise ship portfolio after successfully supplying Royal Caribbean’s cruise liner “Silver Nova” with LNG fuel in another operation in Gibraltar in November.

European classification society DNV GL and the Finnish Meyer Turku Shipyard signed a contract to class Royal Caribbean International’s new class of vessels mainly powered by liquefied natural gas.

US shipping line Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., operator of 46 liners, said its newest vessels on order would be powered by liquefied natural gas, joining rival Carnival Corp. in reducing emissions from fuel to meet stricter emissions standards in North America and Europe.