UECC wraps up first truck-to-ship bio-LNG bunkering operation in Spain

United European Car Carriers (UECC) on Monday (13 January) said it has performed the first-ever ship bunkering operation in Spain with a truck-borne shipment of liquefied biomethane (LBM), also known as bio-LNG, to widen access to supplies of the sustainable fuel.

In the milestone event at the Port of Vigo, LBM supplied by green energy developer Naturgy from a biomethane production plant in the surrounding Galicia province was pumped directly from a tanker truck into the tanks of UECC’s multi-fuel LNG battery hybrid Pure Car and Truck Carrier, Auto Advance.

“This is an important step as it is the first time LBM has been delivered by truck to ship in the whole of Spain. We view Spain as a promising market for biomethane production and so it’s great to get this first delivery over the line,” said UECC’s Energy & Sustainability Manager Daniel Gent.

The delivery allows the leading sustainable carrier in the European shortsea RoRo trade to diversify its regional sources of supply for LBM beyond its main hub of Zeebrugge where it has a long-term supply agreement in place with Titan Clean Fuels. 

“We are trying to promote the growth of the wider small-scale LBM supply network,” Gent explained.

Another aspect of this diversification is that it also represents the first physical molecule delivery of the fuel – instead of mass balanced – as UECC explores multiple alternative delivery pathways to broaden its LBM portfolio.

UECC is boosting uptake of the fuel in line with expansion of its Sail for Change sustainability initiative launched last summer in which LBM is being bunkered on the company’s five dual and multi-fuel LNG PCTCs for several major vehicle manufacturers to cut their Scope 3 emissions.

As well as contributing to its customers’ decarbonisation efforts, UECC is providing fuel demand to support renewable energy development by Naturgy, which is involved in numerous innovative projects to convert agricultural and livestock waste into biomethane, strengthening the regional circular economy.

Naturgy, in a joint venture with Reganosa and Repsol, is looking to produce 1 terawatt hours per year of biomethane from treatment of animal slurry and other waste sources, which would cover 7% of Galicia’s annual gas import requirements and result in a reduction of 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Gent added: “We hope the LBM truck delivery in Spain will be the first of many.”

Related: JLR joins UECC bio-LNG initiative to decarbonise maritime transport
Related: Titan to supply biomethane bunker fuel to UECC multi-fuel ships with new deal
Related: UECC and Titan team up on bio-LNG bunkering operations in Port of Zeebrugge

Photo credit: United European Car Carriers
Published: 14 January, 2025