Edison: First STS LNG bunkering operation in Adriatic Sea completed

Italian energy company Edison has completed the first ship-to-ship (STS) liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation in the Adriatic Sea.

As informed, the refueling of LNG took place in the port of Trieste. This was also the first bunkering operation carried out by Edison through the use of the LNG carrier Ravenna Knutsen, the company noted.

The vessel has been supplying the Ravenna LNG coastal depot (DIG), forming part of the firm’s integrated logistics chain and contributing to the decarbonization of road and maritime transport since 2021.

“We are proud to support our clients on their decarbonisation path and to announce the first ship-to-ship LNG refuelling in the Adriatic Sea. I would like to thank all the authorities, and in particular the Port Authority of Trieste, who made this important milestone possible,” said Fabrizio Mattana, Executive Vice President for Gas Assets at Edison.

“After the commissioning of the coastal depot in Ravenna, which has become the reference in Italy for LNG supply in road transport, thanks to today’s operation Edison is the first in the LNG supply market for the maritime segment. This is a sector with a high potential for reducing its emissions, and LNG is the solution available and competitive today. To consolidate our market presence, we are also developing a second LNG coastal depot in Southern Italy and a second LNG carrier ready for bunkering operations.“

Ravenna Knutsen is a small LNG carrier with “extreme operational flexibility”, available to Edison under a contract with Norwegian shipowner Knutsen OAS Shipping.

The 180-meter long ship was built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea.

The LNG carrier can transport up to 30,000 cubic meters of LNG via three high-nickel steel tanks that are suitably insulated to withstand cryogenic temperatures. The ship has a double set of cargo manifolds (both low and high), making it capable of operating with storage facilities and vessels of different sizes. 

The ship was delivered to Knutsen in February 2021, and named in October of the same year.

LNG is considered an alternative fuel, in line with European and international energy transition commitments, enabling the achievement of significant reductions in several emission factors by eliminating sulfur oxides and particulate matter (PM) and reducing nitrogen and carbon dioxide emissions.

According to Edison, it ensures compliance with the limits imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the transit of vessels in sulfur emission control areas (SECA areas), which the Mediterranean is set to join on May 1, 2025.