Debut at the Port of Emden: Ship-to-Ship Refueling with LNG

“Fill Her Up, Please!” Siem Confucius, a 200-Meter-Long Car Carrier, Is Taking on LNG Fuel From the 108-Meter-Long LNG Bunker Ship Engie Zeebrugge.

 

Emden | August 14, 2020

It takes some eight hours for approximately 1500 metric tons of cryogenic (-163 degrees C) liquefied natural gas to transfer from ship to ship. The car carrier Siem Confucius had already called the Ems Quay in mid-June for loading vehicles at the Port of Emden. This time, the modern freighter is fueled with LNG (liquefied natural gas) from the also LNG-powered bunker ship Engie Zeebrugge. This propulsion technology is currently considered to be a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional marine fuels.

“Modern shipping requires modern choices in the ports. I am pleased that in Emden we can offer shipowners and the port industry the right conditions for switching to other fuels”, explains Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and of JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG.

Well Prepared
Since November of 2019, liquefied natural gas-powered vessels can be refueled at the Ems Pier “ship-to-ship”. Prior to this, the statutory licensing foundations and safety concepts were developed in collaboration with the fire department, the Waterways and Shipping Office, and the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping. In addition, in 2019, the harbor basin at the Ems Pier was deepened to 10,80 meters (SKN/Chart Datum Zero) over a length of 400 meters and a breadth of 45 meters. This allows for the handling of ships with a greater draft than before. It was Niedersachsen Ports’ response to the development of ships’ sizes in the import and export transportation sector for vehicles.

A Port With LNG Experience
Volkswagen ships vehicles from Europe overseas via the Port of Emden. Siem Confucius' route runs directly from Emden to Halifax, Canada.
The Port of Emden has had LNG experience since 2015. For instance, MS Ostfriesland, the ferry to the Island of Borkum, owned and operated by AG EMS, runs on LNG. Here, the bunkering process is truck-to-ship. AG Ems is currently having another ferry converted to LNG propulsion.

Photos: NPorts/Flight Inspector

 

Contact:

Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG
Hindenburgstraße 26 – 30 | 26122 Oldenburg
T +49 (0) 441 35 020 - 310 | F +49 (0) 441 35 020 - 999
presse(at)nports.de | www.nports.de

 

Niedersachsen Ports is the port infrastructure company with the largest number of public seaports in Germany. We are responsible for five seaports, seven island supply ports, and three regional ports along the coastal region of Niedersachsen. Some of our core tasks include the development, construction and maintenance of the infrastructure, and in doing so, we are actively designing the future of the ports. We care about the entire region and its economic development. Niedersachsen Ports employs a staff of 700.