LNG bunkering facility to be built at Antwerp

The Belgium-based natural gas transmission system operator, which has acquired a quay concession at the port, aims to complete the facility by the end of 2019 in a bid to make liquefied natural gas (LNG) available as an alternative fuel for ships and barges, one of Antwerp Port Authority’s key initiatives to make the port’s activities more sustainable.

G&V Energy Group is working with Fluxys to construct the infrastructure needed for barges and smaller seagoing ships to fill up with LNG at a permanent facility with LNG storage. G&V Energy Group will also build an LNG filling station for trucks on the same site.

Accreditation in development

Fluxys already enables barges and smaller seagoing ships to bunker LNG 24/7 using LNG tanker trucks.

In order to provide LNG bunkering in the port of Antwerp, companies must have a permit from the Antwerp Harbourmaster’s Office. 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, known as the LNG Accreditation Audit Tool.

The first draft of this international safety standard was welcomed this month in Amsterdam by a broad group of stakeholders.