LNG

Bio-LNG produced from biomethane and liquefied at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam will be supplied by Uniper to Q1 Energy as a lower-emissions fuel for Germany’s heavy-duty transport sector. Uniper will act as owner, importer and distributor of the bio-LNG, managing the full supply chain and claiming the associated greenhouse gas quota credits, while Q1 Energy will handle delivery to service stations based on demand. The bio-LNG is transported in ISO tank containers from Rotterdam to a central storage site in Germany, from where Q1 distributes it to filling stations. In the production process, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide are removed to generate gas equivalent in quality to natural gas. The resulting biomethane can be fed into the gas grid for delivery to any offtake point or used within existing LNG infrastructure. 

Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has signed new supply agreements to expand the use of bio-LNG fuel on MOL-operated LNG-fuelled car carriers. Titan, part of Molgas, will supply bio-LNG fuel in Northwest Europe, while Axpo will take charge of supply in the Mediterranean region, where new agreement enables bio-LNG bunkering at Spanish ports including Malaga and Barcelona.

FueLNG, a joint venture between Seatrium Offshore & Marine and Shell in Singapore, has completed its 100th ship-to-ship (STS) LNG bunkering operation as demand from LNG-powered vessels increases along with the expanding global fleet.

Peninsula, the leading global independent marine energy supplier founded to fill a gap in the Gibraltar market for bunkering services and benefitting from the assistance of a refinery across the bay in Algeciras in Spain, has fixed its first Biofuel deal for one of the world’s largest shipping companies from China.

RenEco Ltd of the UK has joined with Dutch company Nordsol to establish a bio-liquefied natural gas plant to produce fuel from waste and targeting customers in the truck transportation sector.

Spanish natural gas and LNG terminals operator Enagás has signed an agreement with the Port of Huelva in southwest Spain to promote various gases including bioLNG made from waste.

Varo Energy Group, has acquired control of Dutch company Bio Energy Coevorden BV a leading European producer of biogas made from waste, and aims to double production as it forecasts a 10-fold rise in Bio-LNG demand in Europe by countries like new LNG importer Germany.

Avenir LNG has helped organize the first LNG fuel delivery in the German Baltic Sea Port of Lübeck, supplying the TT-Line ferry company’s new RoPax vessel “Nils Holgersson”, which carriers vehicles, passengers and cargo.

Avenir said that to execute the operation it teamed up with Liquind 24/7 GmbH, a leading German LNG infrastructure provide, and Landwärme GmbH, one of Europe’s leading biomethane traders.

The fuel delivered to the “Nils Holgersson” in the bunkering operation was 10 percent BioLNG, made from waste.

Avenir is a joint venture owned by London-based Stolt-Nielsen and shipping company partners Höegh LNG and Golar LNG Ltd and is listed on the Oslo over-the-counter market.

The company said the first bunkering of the supply agreement was the start of a long-term cooperation between Avenir LNG and TT-Line for the supply of LNG and BioLNG to two new RoPax ferries that will transport passengers and cargo between Baltic Sea ports in Sweden, Germany, and Poland.

Avenir noted that population in the in the port of the region would be immediately benefitting from the environmental advantages of these vessels being powered with LNG with much reduced emissions.

“We are excited about this successful first delivery of LNG to TT-Line in Lübeck,” said Peter Mackey, Chief Executive of Avenir LNG.

“The fact that 10 percent of the delivery was Bio-LNG underlines the commitment of all parties involved to reducing emissions of shipping even further through the development of a suitable small-scale LNG infrastructure,” Mackey explained.

“Avenir is committed to the deployment of bunker vessels and the construction of new terminals, to improve the availability of environmentally friendly fuels for our customers across the marine, industry and logistics segments,” stated the Avenir CEO.

Christian Schneider, Managing Director of Liquidind 24/7, said the effective execution of this bunkering operation showed effective cooperation between different small-scale LNG frontrunners.

“Furthermore, the operation showed the logistical and technical capabilities that Liquidind 24/7 has developed in the past few years as a leading alternative fuel infrastructure provider in the German market,” added Schneider.

Landwärme’s CEO Zoltan Elek said that despite existing regulatory barriers BioLNG was the most viable solution for quickly reducing emissions in maritime transport.

“It helps guarantee energy security, as well as independence on the path to carbon neutrality,” added Elek.

DNV GL, the European maritime classification society, has released its marine fuel forecasts through 2050 with liquefied natural gas being one of the preferred options even over the new hyped fuel of hydrogen because of the estimated price of hydrogen and the high investment costs for the engine and fuel systems.

Air Liquide, the French industrial gases company, said it had commissioned 12 biogas purification units to transform the gas made from waste into biomethane to inject it into the natural gas networks or turn it into liquefied natural gas for use as transportation fuel.