Antonio Peciccia of global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus Media on Thursday (3 December) published an article summarising Shell’s plans to invest in its liquified natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel fleet to meet projected global demand:
Shell plans to “more than double” its LNG bunkering vessel fleet by 2025, the firm’s executive vice-president Steve Hill said at the virtual CWC World LNG summit.
The firm has six LNG bunkering vessels already in operation or about to start service, Hill said.
LNG is set to sharply increase its share of the bunkering market in the coming years, also thanks to its global availability, he added. LNG is already available “in all major ports”, and a widespread use as a marine fuel only requires “those last mile investments” to make it available for bunkering operations, he said.
While relatively small investments may be needed to complete the supply chain for LNG as a marine fuel, the economic downturn stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic may hamper demand growth by slowing investment decisions in building new LNG-fuelled ships or conversions of existing vessels.
Singapore-based Pavilion Energy’s chief executive Frederic Barnaud admits he “was a little bit worried at the beginning of the pandemic” about the potential impact on investment decisions on new LNG-fuelled ships. But final investment decisions “have been made and are being made”, he added.
The number of LNG-fuelled vessels has reached 211 at present, up from 194 at the end of 2019.
Photo credit and source: Argus Media
Published: 7 December, 2020
IBIA Asia, ABIS, sources from Singapore’s bunkering and surveying companies, and an industry veteran share with Manifold Times the issues expected from MPA’s latest Covid-19 measures.
The top three positive movers in the 2020 bunker supplier list are Hong Lam Fuels Pte Ltd (+13); Chevron Singapore Pte Ltd (+12); and SK Energy International (+8), according to MPA list.
‘We will operate in the Singapore bunkering market from the Tokyo, with support from local staff at Sumitomo Corporation Singapore,’ source tells Manifold Times.
Changes include abolishing advance declaration of bunkers as dangerous cargo, reducing pilotage fees on vessels receiving bunkers, and a ‘whitelist’ system for bunker tankers.
Claim relates to deliveries of MGO to the vessels Pacific Diligence, Pacific Valkyrie, Pacific Defiance, Crest Alpha 1, and Pacific Warlock between March 2020 to April 2020.
3,490 mt of LSFO from Itochu Enex was lifted at Universal Terminal; the same bunker stem was bought by Global Marine Logistics and delivered by bunker tanker Juma to receiving vessel Kirana Nawa.