Scale Gas and Knutsen launch first LNG bunker vessel built in Spain

February 3, 2023, by Aida Čučuk

Enagás subsidiary Scale Gas and Norwegian vessel operator Knutsen Group have inaugurated the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering barge Haugesund Knutsen built in Spain.

The vessel, chartered by Shell Spain and built by Astilleros Armón Gijón, will operate in the Port of Barcelona and promote the use of LNG as a sustainable fuel in maritime transport.

According to Enagás, it will serve more clients in the Mediterranean region, playing a key role in the security of supply in the region and promoting the use of LNG in marine transport.

The barge has a storage capacity of 5000 m3, with two bilobal tanks of 2500 m3 each, and an LNG supply capacity of 1,000 m3/h.

Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of Enagás, said: “The construction of the vessel is a step forward in meeting European decarbonisation goals with the promotion of LNG as a sustainable fuel in maritime transport.”

He stressed that “this initiative is part of a European project coordinated by Enagás within the LNGhive2 strategy led by Puertos del Estado, with the aim of favouring the development of LNG market as a sustainable maritime fuel, and guaranteeing supply in ports in line with the European directive on alternative fuels.”

Founder and Owner of Knutsen, Trygve Seglem, said that “the Haugesund Knutsen confirms Knutsen’s strategy, which began 15 years ago with Pioneer Knutsen, to bet on small-scale LNG as a tool to reinforce the use of LNG as a marine fuel and thus help in the objective of decarbonisation and environment improvement in Europe and the Mediterranean.”

President of Shell Spain, Óscar Fernández, pointed out that the Haugesund Knutsen vessel “is a magnificent example of how the collaboration between different players in the sector, together with the support of public administration, will make it possible to jointly achieve the decarbonisation objectives.”

President of the Port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, said that having a vessel like the Haugesund Knutsen “further reinforces the positioning of the Port of Barcelona as a port for the supply of alternative fuels.”

Prior to the barge inauguration Enagás and the Port of Barcelona signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote hydrogen projects in the area, in line with the objective of the H2MED project to develop the first green hydrogen corridor in the European Union (EU).