LNG Shipping launches inland LNG bunker barge chartered by Shell

LNG Shipping, a joint venture between Victrol and Sogestran, has launched Energy Stockholm, a liquified natural gas (LNG) bunker barge which will be chartered to Shell LNG B.V(Shell).

The 8,000 cbm bunker barge was launched on 11 July at RMK Marine’s shipyard in Tuzla. The vessel, dubbed Europe’s largest inland waterway LNG bunker barge, will carry out bunkering operations in the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (ARA) region.

The ship incorporates technology that improves fuel efficiency compared to existing assets in operation. The vessel has a dual-fuel propulsion, able to use cargo boil off gas. It will be the first LNG bunker barge to use battery technology and shore power, which will help reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, according to Sogestran.

It was designed by the International Naval Engineering Consultants (INEC). Gas & Heat will supply the tanks and cargo handling system.

“We are steadily expanding our bunker assets to enable LNG’s immediate availability and accessibility in supporting shipping decarbonisation. The new barge will increase Shell’s bunkering capacity in the ARA region. She will soon join our LNG fuelling network, which is the largest in the world with 12 bunker vessels across 19 locations,” Tahir Faruqui, Global Head of Downstream LNG at Shell, said.

“The Energy Stockholm will benefit from four years of operational experience on the LNG London and is poised to meet a range of customer demands, from ferries to large carriers. She is at the forefront of new technologies, with features that help consume less energy and reduce emissions,” David Patron, Market Director Oil-Chemicals-Gases at Sogestran, representing LNG Shipping, added.

This is the second inland waterway barge that LNG Shipping and Shell are collaborating on. The first was the 3000 cbm LNG London launched in July 2019.