Pavilion Energy bunkers Singapore’s first LNG hybrid tug via trucks

Singapore’s first LNG hybrid tug, JMS Sunshine, has received LNG via truck-to-ship bunkering operation conducted by Pavilion Energy.

For this operation, a total of 34 cubic metres of LNG was transferred from the trucks to the receiving vessel at Jurong Port on 29 March, Pavilion Energy revealed in its social media update.

This operation, which involved JMS Sunshine, is also said to mark the beginning of Pavilion Energy’s truck-to-ship LNG bunkering operations with Sembcorp Marine, under a supply agreement with Bulk Trade, a Sembcorp Marine subsidiary.

Sembcorp Marine is the designer, builder, owner and operator of JMS Sunshine, the Singapore-flagged LNG hybrid tug. Running on a pure LNG with a sizable energy storage system based on a Lithium-ion battery, the vessel is described as the first of its kind.

This system allows emission-free operation of the tug during idling and low-speed transit. It comes equipped with a “take-me-home” reserve capacity to ensure safe return of the tug in the event of engine failure.

JMS Sunshine was christened at the beginning of the year and is the first of a series of LNG hybrid tugs specially designed for domestic service in Singapore. It will be deployed in Sembcorp Marine yards for ship manoeuvring, mooring and unmooring operations. It can also be deployed by ship operators to escort vessels within Singapore port limits.

Sembcorp Marine plans to build a fleet of tugs to progressively replace the existing diesel-powered fleet operated by its subsidiary Jurong Marine Services (JMS)and a licensed operator of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The company commissioned the design and construction of the world’s first LNG hybrid tug in 2018.