➤ LNG from a Flag State Prospective

As the second largest registry, the Liberia Ship Registry has seen an increase in its LNG newbuilding orders and this is expected to rise. As a leading expert flag in the gas and offshore field, Liberia is best placed to give technical and commercial advice into LNG commercial capabilities.

Dallas Smith, Director of LNG & Offshore/General Manager, Liberian Registry

➤  Jacksonville Port – Investing and meeting supply demands

Jacksonville has the largest LNG bunkering operation at any US port. It currently can liquify fuel with two facilities that can do this on a small scale. There is also an export facility that is being built. The port receives all its fuel via pipelines that are liquefied on site. This helps alleviate the stress of an independent supplier.

Ricardo Schiappacasse, Director of Special Projects, Jacksonville Port Authority

 

➤  Introducing LNG into the Iberian Peninsula
Spain has recently seen a vast amount of development into LNG bunkering in the past year, having doubled the amount of LNG fuelled vessels. Alongside that, the number of ports delivering LNG has also increased whilst also introducing MTTS operations as the BAU Scenario.

Antonio Miranda, Head of Bunkering, Naturgy

 

➤  The bunker industry’s future

As we slowly march towards a zero-carbon world, it is interesting to discuss how the bunkering industry foresees its future. Technology moves at such a pace that by the time something new is implemented, something more advance has already come along.

Frederic Meyer, Head of Strategy, Total Marine Fuels

➤  Asia’s Global Bunkering Hub – Singapore

Singapore has been steadily increasing its LNG bunkering ability, in 2020, the country launched its first LNG bunkering vessel. As these developments have come to fruition, it will help increase the adoption of LNG as a fuel and position Singapore as a global LNG Bunkering Hub.

Saunak Rai, General Manager, FueLNG

➤  Japan’s International LNG Bunkering Center
Japan currently has several different projects in the pipeline to meet its strategy of becoming an LNG hub. Currently, MLIT is developing an initiative to cooperate with different nations in establishing itself as a refuelling station for vessels heading to North America.

Rikiya Kawaguchi, Deputy Director – Port Management & Operations Division, Ports & Harbours Bureau (Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure & Tourism MLIT)

 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

With the leaders of LNG Bunkering all in one place, the event provides the opportunity to gain the edge over the competition by placing your brand in front of key decision makers or even being seen as a thought leader by becoming involved in the programme. Plus, as the event is virtual there is no need for expensive business trips and you can network and meet possible new clients from your own office. For further information on how your company can get involved contact, Ignas Maciulaitis on +44 203 808 3296 or email im@wisdom.events.

A key requirement for ocean carriers to adopt LNG as an engine fuel is the availability of LNG bunkering facilities. As LNG is an extremely cold and volatile, LNG bunkering requires specialised infrastructure for supply, storage, and fuel delivery to vessels. The predominant method of bunkering today with high-sulphur fuel is vessel to vessel, either by a tank barge or smaller tanker.

The type of infrastructure needed to temporarily store (if needed) and deliver LNG within a given port would depend on the size and location of the port, as well as the types of vessels expected to bunker LNG. Truck to ship bunkering is best suited for supporting smaller and mid-sized vessels, such as ferries or offshore supply vessels (OSVs) that support offshore oil platforms. Liquefaction facilities built on site can provide the greatest capacity of any LNG bunkering option, for example, to provide fuel for large vessels in transoceanic trade. However, constructing small scale liquefaction facilities to produce and deliver LNG on site requires considerable planning and significant capital investment.

Each type of LNG bunkering may be a viable means to begin services in a port. However, ports may face practical constraints as bunkering increases in scale. For example, a container port of significant size normally has a multitude of terminals, so even with an onsite liquefaction facility, it may need additional infrastructure or supply vessels for moving LNG to other port locations where a cargo ship might be berthed. There may also be port capacity and timing constraints upon the movement of LNG bunkering barges trying to refuel multiple large vessels in various locations around a crowded port.

To date, the LNG bunkering operations already in place or in development are comparatively small, but scale constraints could become a factor as LNG bunkering grows and might require additional bunkering-related port investments.