LNG Bunkering

SMW 2019: Winners announced for ‘Low Cost LNG Retrofit Challenge’

NTU, DNV GL and Shell host competition finding ways to fit fuel gas system to an existing ocean-going vessel.

Published

6 years ago

April 10, 2019

Admin

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), international quality assurance and risk management firm DNV GL, and global energy company Shell, organised a national competition to develop green solutions for the shipping industry.

Dubbed the ‘Low Cost LNG Retrofit (LCLR) Challenge’, the competition aims to explore ideas that could help reduce the cost of retrofitting a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas system to an existing ocean-going vessel.

This would allow shipping companies to embrace cleaner fuels and reduce harmful emissions, including adhering to the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) stringent guidelines on ship emissions that comes into effect from 2020.

Held from July to December 2018, the competition attracted over 60 participants from NTU, the National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology, and Newcastle University Singapore.

Participants were encouraged to develop cost effective and radical LNG fuel gas system designs and installation concepts that could be retrofitted to an existing vessel with a conventional fuel oil system.

Two teams from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and one from SIT-Newcastle University were named as commendation award winners, with each group receiving SG $5,000 each.

Professor Low Teck Seng, Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation (NRF) presented the prizes at the Singapore Maritime Technology Conference (SMTC) 2019 this afternoon.

The proposals by the three teams outlined ways to reduce costs and streamline retrofitting operations such as using alternative materials to store LNG fuel, improved methods to install LNG fuel systems and alternative methods to speed up retrofitting process.

The proposals include using manganese-steel as a cheaper and viable alternative to the current nickel-based steels, factoring in the material’s tensile strength and feasibility to store LNG fuel at cryogenic temperatures (below 150 degrees Celsius).

A panel of international experts from NTU, Shell, DNV GL, Keppel Offshore and Marine, WinGD, Wartsila, Sembcorp Marine, Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI), and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) judged all project proposals.

The competition is part of efforts of NTU’s Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD) to deepen Singapore’s maritime R&D capabilities and position the country as a global maritime knowledge and innovation hub. Launched in October 2017, MESD is jointly funded by SMI and NTU.

Photo credit: Nanyang Technological University
Published: 11 April, 2019

LNG Bunkering

Axpo expands LNG bunkering operations in Spain to Port of Algeciras

Company completes its first LNG ship-to-ship delivery to MSC vessel “Mariacristina” in Port of Algeciras, marking the expansion of its LNG bunkering operations to a second Spanish port.

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Admin

Axpo expands LNG bunkering operations in Spain to Port of Algeciras

Switzerland-based energy producer Axpo on Thursday (24 April) said it has successfully completed its first LNG ship-to-ship delivery in the Port of Algeciras, marking the expansion of its LNG bunkering operations to a second Spanish port.

Axpo’s 7,500-cubic-metre small-scale LNG vessel Avenir Aspiration delivered LNG to MSC, a leading global shipping company, reinforcing Axpo’s growing presence in key Mediterranean hubs.

Approximately 5,000 cubic metres (cbm) of LNG was transferred to the MSC vessel Mariacristina in Algeciras, Spain’s largest port. This follows the ship-to-ship bunkering last month of around 5,800 cbm of LNG to an MSC vessel in the port of Málaga. The latest delivery further consolidates Axpo’s position as a reliable provider of LNG bunkering services in the Mediterranean region.

Axpo’s Head of Small-Scale LNG Daniele Corti, said: “This successful delivery marks another important milestone for our LNG bunkering business. By expanding our operations to a second port in Spain, we continue to implement Axpo’s ambitious small-scale LNG growth strategy and strengthen our presence as a reliable LNG partner.

Spain is an important hub for Axpo’s LNG business. The company said demand for LNG is increasing, as it offers a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative to the traditional fuels used in the maritime sector.

Active across the midstream and downstream natural gas and LNG sector both in Switzerland and internationally, Axpo trades and transports gas throughout Europe. LNG customers range from small and medium-sized enterprises to large energy-intensive industrial companies.

Photo credit: Axpo
Published: 25 April, 2025

LNG Bunkering

China: SIPG subsidiary orders LNG bunkering vessel from Jiangnan Shipyard

Jiangnan Shipyard secures a contract to build a LNG bunkering vessel with a total capacity of 20,000 cubic metres for SIPG Energy Shanghai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanghai International Port Group.

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2025

Admin

China: SIPG subsidiary orders LNG bunkering vessel from Jiangnan Shipyard

China's Jiangnan Shipyard on Tuesday (22 April) said it successfully secured a contract to construct a new LNG bunkering vessel for SIPG Energy Shanghai (SIPG Energy), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG).

The order marked Jiangnan Shipyard’s return to the type C gas tank market after two years and has entered the LNG bunkering ship market.

The vessel will be equipped with three IMO type C LNG cargo tanks with a total capacity of 20,000 cubic metres.

It will be equipped with full-revolving electric propulsion system, bow thruster, GCU, high-load compressor, smart ship and other advanced equipment, which can meet the requirements of NOx Tier III, achieve near-zero SOx emissions, and reduce CO2 greenhouse gases by about 20%.

This ship will be used for ship-to-ship bunkering, ship-to-shore supply and reverse transfer, offers BOG treatment, operation volume trade measurement and calorific value analysis of LNG receiving ships of various types, and can provide inerting, cold tank and gas test services for LNG-powered ships.

According to the construction plan, Jiangnan Shipyard is scheduled to deliver the vessel to SIPG Energy in the first half of 2027.

SIPG Energy's fleet includes the LNG bunkering vessel Hai Gang Wei Lai and green methanol bunkering vessel Hai Gang Zhi Yuan.

“We believe that with the shipbuilding strength of Jiangnan Shipyard and the rich bunkering experience of SIPG Energy, the two parties will be able to work together to achieve a strong alliance and jointly build LNG bunkering vessels with advanced indicators and excellent performance, and help build green ports and green shipping corridors,” the shipyard said.

Photo credit: Jiangnan Shipyard
Published: 23 April, 2025

Bunker Fuel

Port of Rotterdam publishes bunker fuel sales data for Q1 2025

Port data showed 230,129 m3 of liquefied natural gas (LNG) being delivered as a marine fuel in Q1 2025, a 6.9% increase from 215,247 m3 in Q1 2024.

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2025

Admin

The Port of Rotterdam Authority recently published bunker fuel sales data for the first quarter (Q1) of 2025.

Deliveries of ultra low sulphur fuel oil, very low sulphur fuel oil, high sulphur fuel oil, marine gas oil and marine diesel oil in Q1 2025 (against on year) recorded respectively 187,031 metric tonnes (mt) (+5.8% from 176,797 mt), 789,218 mt (+15.9% from 680,782 mt), 829,197 mt (+1.4% from 818,028 mt), 295,127 (+12.4% from 262,496 mt), 97,944 mt (-19% from 120,913 mt).

Bio-blended variants of ultra low sulphur fuel oil, very low sulphur fuel oil, high sulphur fuel oil, marine gas oil and marine diesel oil in Q1 2025 (against on year) recorded respectively 8,490 mt (-68.9% from 27,263 mt), 49,263 mt (-71.7% from 174,301 mt), 28,271 mt (-33.9% from 42,761 mt), 15,640 mt (+8.7% from 13,180 mt) and 5,129 mt (-99.8% from 958 mt).

Port data showed 230,129 m3 of liquefied natural gas (LNG) being delivered as a marine fuel in Q1 2025, a 6.9% increase from 215,247 m3 in Q1 2024. Bio-methanol and bio-blended LNG recorded 5,490 mt and zero respectively in Q1 2025.

Photo credit: Port of Rotterdam
Published: 24 April, 2025