Yamal LNG transshipments now at Belgian port

Construction of the new facilities at the Port of Zeebrugge started in mid-2015 and by early December 2019 they were ready for test operations with loading rates exceeding 12,500m³ LNG per hour from one storage tank.

Pascal De Buck, chief executive of Fluxys Belgium, said, “Our LNG services at the Zeebrugge terminal accommodate the need for low emission energy that comes with the energy transition and unlock an immediately available alternative for the shipping and trucking sectors to move away from high emission fuels.

“With the start of the long-term contract for transshipments we are taking yet another step in the continuous development of our LNG services. The terminal is now also a fully-fledged link in the logistics chain for the worldwide delivery of LNG from the Yamal production terminal in Siberia. The transhipment activity is an important new business line and the port of Zeebrugge will see a significant increase in ship movements.”

A fifth LNG storage tank with a capacity of 180,000m³ LNG and associated process facilities were built at the Zeebrugge LNG terminal in view of the long-term contract with Yamal Trade. The additional capacity allows transshipments between icebreaker LNG vessels coming from the Yamal production terminal and conventional LNG carriers without the two having to be docked simultaneously.