Singapore’s 1st LNG bunkering vessel starts commercial ops

FueLNG Bellina, Singapore’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel, kicked off commercial operations.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) on Wednesday said it has commenced technical management of the vessel.

FueLNG Bellina is owned by FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum.

The vessel’s debut in Singapore is a milestone for the maritime industry in its efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG).

FueLNG Bellina was built by Keppel Offshore & Marine’s Nantong shipyard and delivered in January.

The vessel’s first contracts will be to provide ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to the Shell-chartered tankers and for one of Hapag Lloyd’s container vessels.

FueLNG will also provide LNG bunkering from Singapore’s first dedicated LNG bunkering facility scheduled to be built by Keppel O&M on its Floating Living Lab. Shell will be supplying the LNG to the facility when it becomes operational at the end of 2021.

Designed by Keppel O&M’s technology arm, Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech), to its proprietary MTD 7500U LNG design, the vessel has a barge-like extended flat surface to provide bunker to a wide range of vessels.