Shell to Charter 15 LNG-powered Barges
Shell Trading Rotterdam BV (Shell) has signed a time-charter agreement with Plouvier Transport NV and Intertrans Tankschiffahrt AG for 15 new inland dual-fuel barges, which will predominantly run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
The barges, built by the Dutch shipyard VEKA Shipbuilding BV, will support Shell’s business in trading and transporting mineral oil products in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) and Rhinetrack (Germany/Switzerland) regions.
Dr. Grahaeme Henderson, Vice President of Shell Shipping & Maritime said, “These innovative new vessels will enable a step-change in the safety and environmental performance of our barge fleet. Chartering these cutting-edge vessels from owners who share our vision helps drive innovation in the barge sector.”
This investment underlines Shell’s confidence in LNG becoming a bigger part of the global transport fuel mix and supports the development of a new European LNG marine fuel industry for inland and coastal vessels. It is expected that these barges will refuel with LNG from the new LNG for Transport supply infrastructure, called an ‘LNG break bulk’ terminal, currently being built by the Gas Access to Europe (Gate) terminal in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The 110-meter-long barges have been designed for improved environmental performance, safety and optimal cargo carrying capacity in various water conditions. Their main engines provided by Wärtsilä will run on 95- 98 percent LNG fuel with a small proportion of diesel used for ignition.
A staggered delivery of the barges is expected to take place between late-2016 and mid- 2018.