Seatrade Maritime is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Rotterdam sees jump in LNG bunkering as fuel oil sales dip

3d85ab669a03afd03f400510ee929ad8
The port of Rotterdam has recorded a stellar rise in the sales of LNG as marine fuel in 2018 over 2017, while sales of heavy fuel oil dipped, according to figures released by the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

In 2018, LNG bunker sales in Rotterdam jumped to 9,500 tonnes compared to just 1,500 tonnes in 2017 and a mere 100 tonnes in 2016.

Rotterdam port currently has Titan LNG, Shell and Anthony Veder as registered LNG bunker specialists, and the port authority is expecting to have 10 suppliers within five years and a considerable increase in LNG bunkering.

In the sale of heavy fuel oil, the port posted sales of 9.5m cu m last year, down from 9.9m cu m in 2017.

“The Port of Rotterdam Authority suspects that the decline in bunker volumes in Europe’s largest bunker port is a consequence of the increased scale and use of modern vessels in container shipping. Supplies to containerships account for approximately 70% of the total Rotterdam bunker market,” Port of Rotterdam Authority stated.

Read more: Rotterdam port achieves record container volumes for 2018

Meanwhile, the port authority highlighted that the Rotterdam port region is gearing up for the IMO 2020 sulphur cap regulation.

“The oil product refineries and storage terminals in Rotterdam are preparing themselves for the delivery and storage of so-called VLSFO (very low sulphur fuel oil), which contains the required 0.5% sulphur,” the port authority stated.