Antwerp looks for an LNG concessionary

The Request for Proposals (RfP) represents a change of policy for the port authority. Until the beginning of 2015, the plan was that it would invest in the facility itself and then to have it operated by an independent company. But a changed view of the market has led the port authority to abandon this approach.

Annik Dirkx, spokeswoman, Antwerp Port Authority, said: “It must be possible for barges to fill up with LNG at a permanent facility in the port of Antwerp by the beginning of 2019 at the latest. Truck-to-ship bunkering is already possible, but the port of Antwerp wishes to further augment the availability of LNG by setting up a permanent station.”

It has been possible to bunker with LNG at Antwerp since 2012. LNG is collected by truck at the LNG import terminal in Zeebrugge and brought to the quayside in Antwerp from where it can be filled directly into the barge. But a permanent facility will make LNG available in the Port of Antwerp on a continuous basis.

Quay 528 has an area of around 7,304 m² available for the concession. The site was chosen after extensive screening of possible locations in the port area, taking into account factors such as safety, waterfront access and road access. On the basis of a preliminary basic design for a facility with storage capacity of 450 m³, a safety study has shown that up to 45,000 m³ of LNG can be bunkered annually at a filling rate of 100 m³/hour.

Additional safety precautions may ultimately permit a higher throughput, depending on the final detailed configuration of the facility.

The port authority said it will not exclude the possibility of transhipment of LNG from feeder ships, transhipment of LNG by trucks and LNG/CNG filling facilities for road users also being developed on the site. It may also possible for other fuels to be stored or made available on the site.

Interested parties have until 5 October to submit their project proposals.