DNG Energy offering Algoa Bay LNG bunkering services from Q2 2020

South African liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure provider DNG Energy is poised to start LNG bunkering in South Africa’s largest bunkering port Algoa Bay from the second quarter (Q2) of 2020.

The company has secured a bunkering licence within Algoa Bay and commissioned South African Shipyards to build an 8,000 tonne LNG bunker barge for delivery in 2020; it is the largest vessel by weight ever to be built on the African continent.

The development of LNG bunkering facilities at Algoa Bay utilises Africa’s abundance of natural gas reserves to overcome the shortage of infrastructure as a barrier to the adoption of LNG as a fuel, according to DNG Energy.

The initiative will improve access to LNG bunkers for commercial vessels on one of the world’s most travelled trading routes, which sees 56,000 vessels transit the region every year.

“The shipping industry faces significant challenges in meeting global sulphur regulations from 2020, as well as ambitious decarbonisation and wider sustainability targets towards 2050,” commented Aldworth Mbalati, Founder and CEO, DNG Energy.

“It is increasingly evident that LNG as a marine fuel has an important role to play on this pathway. As a major global maritime hub, the development of LNG bunkering infrastructure in Algoa Bay is therefore a natural step in expanding Africa’s LNG value chain, directly supporting the growth of LNG-fuelled shipping on multiple trade routes and delivering against the industry’s, as well as Africa’s, sustainability goals.”

Photo credit: DNG Energy
Published: 21 November, 2019