First bunkering at Gothenburg

The bunkering of the natural gas took place at a protected location just off the island of Fotö at the entrance to the port.

“We have worked resolutely for a long time to create a situation where a ship could bunker liquefied natural gas in Gothenburg. We have now managed to achieve our ambition and we are extremely pleased with the outcome,” said Jill Söderwall, vice president and head of commercial operations at the energy port in Gothenburg.

M/T Ternsund is operated by the Swedish Donsö-based company Tärntank Ship Management AB, it will receive a 30% discount on port charge thanks to the Port of Gotehnburg’s new discount which has been introduced to encourage more operators to switch to LNG.

“This marks a new starting point for us. It heralds the beginning of a new era of more modern and considerably cleaner shipping,” said Claes Möller, fleet manager at the Tärntank Ship Management AB.

“By opting for LNG, we will more than meet present and future environmental requirements. I’m proud that Terntank is at the forefront in promoting greener transport.”

The port hopes there will be multiple other vessels bunkering LNG on a regular basis in the future.

Approximately 10 newly built LNG-powered vessels are on their way from the shipyards, all the vessels are owned by Swedish tanker operators and all with routes that pass Gothenburg.

Ms Söderwall continued: “Bunkering can be carried out in Gothenburg thanks to the fact that we have produced safety instructions that govern the procedure. We are one of the first ports in the world to have a set of rules of this nature in place.”

“With our substantially discounted port charge we can offer an excellent incentive to our shipping customers to switch from oil to liquefied natural gas.”