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Norway PM backs Baltic LNG testing

Norway PM backs Baltic LNG testing
Oslo: Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has promoted the Baltic Sea as a new pilot area for LNG-fuelled shipping.

"Norway supports technological solutions to meet the new requirements for the maritime industry in the Baltic Sea," he said. "One of the most promising alternatives is the use of LNG as fuel for ships.”

The "LNG in Baltic Sea Ports" program, coordinated by Gdansk-based Baltic Ports Organisation, aims to establish LNG bunkering stations at Aarhus, Copenhagen-Malmo, Helsingborg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn and Turku ports. The project answers EU-adopted IMO regulations limiting maritime sulphur emissions in November of last year, due to come into force in 2015.

The Baltic Sea has hitherto been ridden with NOx and phosphorous emissions from ships, which has caused slews of environmental damage. According to activists, algae blooms are responsible for a 25,000sq mile “dead zone” which cannot sustain marine life due to a lack of oxygen.

"The distances in the Baltic Sea are ideal for short sea shipping. Therefore, we believe that the Baltic Sea has the potential to become a pilot area for the use of LNG in Europe."

TAGS: Ports LNG