On January 24, 2020, Gasum’s Coralius performed her 200th LNG bunkering operation. The vessel receiving the LNG fuel was Fjord Line’s MS Stavangerfjord. The bunkering took place while Stavangerfjord underwent periodical maintenance at the Fayard yard in Odense, Denmark.
“We normally supply LNG to Stavangerfjord by a loading arm on a regular basis directly from our LNG plant in Risavika,” explains Gunnar Helmen, Sales Manager at Gasum. “It’s great to get this opportunity to supply the cruise ferry with LNG in dock in Denmark. Having been fueled with fresh LNG, Stavangerfjord will return to her regular Stavanger-Bergen-Hirtshals route. And we’re very happy to make our 200th bunkering delivery to Fjord Line in particular,” he concludes.
Stavangerfjord and her sister ship MS Bergensfjord are the first and largest cruise ferries in the world that are fueled fully on liquefied natural gas (LNG). They both started operating in 2013. Since then, Gasum has conducted hundreds of bunkerings to these vessels.
“We’re very happy with the longstanding relationship with Gasum and the support we’ve received over the years. We’re pioneers in LNG-fueled cruise ferries on this scale and, as such, not everything works according to plan in the early start-up years. In this context, a professional partner like Gasum makes this transition to a greener maritime world simpler and safer,” says Richard Ternblom, CEO of Fjord Line.
Bunkering operations increasing
Coralius reached the 100th bunkering mark in February last year. The next milestone of completing 200 deliveries was achieved this week. Last year, Coralius provided 107 ship-to-ship bunkerings to various customers in locations ranging from Rotterdam to the Gothenburg waters, with the focus being mainly on the latter region.
LNG as maritime fuel
LNG maritime fuel meets all current sulphur oxide (SOx) and planned nitrogen oxide (NOx) requirements. It eliminates particle emissions and can reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20% compared to traditional fuels. LNG is suitable for all vessel types and contributes significantly to a greener shipping environment.
Coralius was built by the Royal Bodewes in the Netherlands and is the first European-built LNG bunkering and distribution vessel. It is equipped with state-of-the-art LNG transfer equipment for bunkering and has a cargo capacity of 5,800 m3.
