|
Berlin, 2 March 2016 GAZPROM Germania GmbH bunkered a ship with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time in the port of Rostock, Germany. Located on the Baltic Sea, Rostock has been using the past months to position itself as a port where ships can be fueled with environmentally friendly LNG. GAZPROM Germania, Rostock Port and the local regulatory authority have worked out the legal and operative framework necessary to conduct corresponding bunkering operations. On 27 February 2016, Germany’s largest Baltic Sea port demonstrated that it is capable of bunkering ships with LNG. In the early hours of the morning, a ship was supplied with liquefied natural gas for the first time ever in the southern Baltic Sea. The M.V. Greenland, a 110-metre cement carrier operated by the Norwegian shipping company KGJ Cement AS, was the vessel bunkered in coordination with the shipping agent Sartori & Berger. To make this possible, the natural gas cooled down to a temperature of -160 degrees was transported to Rostock by road tanker. “We believe there is a great deal of potential in the maritime sector. Climate-friendly natural gas could replace thousands of tonnes of heavy fuel oil every year”, points out Timo Vehrs, Director of Business Development at GAZPROM Germania GmbH. “We have now taken a crucial first step in Rostock, where this bunkering operation has shown that the vision of using LNG as bunker fuel has already become a reality.” “We are very pleased to witness this new development at our port”, adds Jens Aurel Scharner, managing director of Hafen-Entwicklungsgesellschaft Rostock mbH. “We are certain that the opportunity to bunker alternative fuels like LNG will play its part in making us more competitive and encouraging more environmentally friendly ships to call in Rostock.” LNG continues to gain importance with shipping companies that operate in the North and Baltic Seas, where stricter environmental standards have applied to shipping since January 2015. Under the new standards, ships’ emissions are limited to 0.1% sulphur instead of the previous 1.0%. This was part of the reason why back in 2014 GAZPROM Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Rostock Port on cooperating in the LNG market. This cooperation focuses on the development, marketing, and usage of LNG in road transport and shipping in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. About Gazprom Germania GAZPROM Germania GmbH is a subsidiary of the world’s largest natural gas producer, Moscow-based GAZPROM. Since its establishment in 1990, GAZPROM Germania GmbH has developed into an internationally operating group of around 50 companies in over 20 countries in Europe and Asia. Its main business activities include the storage and trading of natural gas and the use of natural gas for transport. The group employs around 1,200 employees, over 200 of whom work at its Berlin headquarters. Together with its strategic partners, GAZPROM Germania GmbH helps ensure a reliable, environmentally-friendly, and sustainable energy supply for Europe. 
Image by GAZPROM Germania GmbH 
Image by GAZPROM Germania GmbH GAZPROM Germania GmbH press release |
