CLPe and CNOOC achieve first SIMOPS LNG bunkering operation in Hong Kong
- Published
by Admin
Hong Kong has achieved its largest single liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation to date and the city‘s first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering with simultaneous cargo handling on 5 June, according to CLPe and CNOOC Guangdong Water Transport Clean Energy Company (CNOOC) on Tuesday (10 June).
CLPe teamed up with CNOOC to supply around 10,000 cubic metres (m3) of LNG to the container vessel Hanoi Express from the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd during cargo handling at Kwai Tsing Container Terminals.
The operation integrated bunkering and cargo operations in a streamlined process, enabling Hanoi Express to be filled with LNG within 24 hours while loading and unloading cargo at Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, significantly reducing its port turnaround time and operating costs.
The LNG bunkering operation was conducted by CNOOC’s Haiyang Shiyou 301, which is 184.7 metres long and 28.1 metres wide. As the first domestically built LNG bunkering vessel in the Mainland, it is equipped with both LNG transportation and bunkering capabilities and is designed primarily to supply fuel to international maritime vessels.
Haiyang Shiyou 301 is also the largest LNG bunkering and transport vessel in the world, with a storage capacity of 30,000 cubic meters and a refuelling rate of 1,650 cubic meters per hour.
The HKSAR Government released an Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering last year and enacted the Shipping Legislation (Use of Fuels and Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2024 this year, promoting the city’s development into an international green maritime fuel bunkering centre.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Ms Mable Chan, said: “The success of this operation was made possible by the joint efforts of LNG supplier CNOOC and LNG bunker seller CLPe. Conducting bunkering during cargo operations—and with the bunkering of green maritime fuel which reduces carbon emissions—truly delivers a synergistic effect where one plus one is greater than two.”
Ms Chan predicted the simultaneous operation would encourage the bunkering sector in Hong Kong to provide more services for vessels using LNG and other green maritime fuels. This would also give international shipping lines greater confidence and convenience in choosing the Hong Kong port for bunkering, cargo handling, and related operations, she suggested.
CLP Holdings Chief Executive Officer Mr T. K. Chiang remarked that Hong Kong’s strategic geographic location makes it an ideal international shipping centre. As one of the world’s top ten bunkering centres, the city welcomes over 5,000 ocean-going vessels every year, and the switch to low-carbon and net-zero marine fuels is a growing trend in the global shipping industry.
Guangzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau Deputy Director Mr Wu Wei-hau said enhanced cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangzhou in the development of green marine fuel would play a key role in providing more internationally competitive green shipping services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
In November 2024, CLPe and CNOOC announced plans for a joint venture to provide LNG bunkering services in Hong Kong, aiming to accelerate the green transformation of the shipping industry.
Related: Hong Kong unveils action plan to become green maritime bunkering centre
Related: CLPe and CNOOC form joint venture to offer LNG bunkering in Hong Kong
Photo credit: CLPe and CNOOC
Published: 11 June, 2025
