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Fluxys to build permanent LNG bunkering facility at Port of Antwerp by 2019Fluxys to build permanent LNG bunkering facility at Port of Antwerp by 2019

Greater strides are being made towards LNG bunkering at the Port of Antwerp with independent Belgium-based gas infrastructure group   Fluxys having taken over the concession at the port to make liquefied natural gas (LNG) available as an alternative fuel for ships and barges.

Vincent Wee, Hong Kong and South East Asia Correspondent

April 11, 2018

1 Min Read
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As part of the port authority's key initiatives to make the port's activities more sustainable, Fluxys will add a permanent LNG bunkering facility by the end of next year to complement the existing mobile (truck-to-ship) bunkering service.

The permanent LNG facility is set to be completed by the end of 2019, and over the next year and a half Fluxys will construct the infrastructure needed for barges and smaller seagoing ships to fill up with LNG at a permanent facility with LNG storage. The company will work closely with G&V Energy Group, which will also build an LNG filling station for trucks on the same site, which should further help to improve the air quality in the port area as heavy vehicles will be able to switch to the cleaner burning fuel.

Fluxys currently already has facilities that enables barges and smaller seagoing ships to bunker LNG smoothly and flexibly round-the-clock, using LNG tanker trucks, a procedure known as truck-to-ship bunkering.

The ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Bremen, Le Havre and Marseille are currently collaborating under the auspices of the International Association of Ports and Harbours to develop a suitable accreditation process for the provision of LNG bunkering services, known as the LNG Accreditation Audit Tool.

Switching to LNG helps lower emissions, and is especially applicable to help ships and heavy duty trucks move to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

About the Author

Vincent Wee

Hong Kong and South East Asia Correspondent

Vincent Wee is Seatrade's Hong Kong correspondent covering Hong Kong and South China while also making use of his Malay language skills to cover the Malaysia and Indonesia markets. He has gained a keen insight and extensive knowledge of the offshore oil and gas markets gleaned while covering major rig builders and offshore supply vessel providers.

Vincent has been a journalist for over 15 years, spending the bulk of his career with Singapore's biggest business daily the Business Times, and covering shipping and logistics since 2007. Prior to that he spent several years working for Brunei's main English language daily as well as various other trade publications.

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