Rotterdam Expects to See Rising LNG Bunker Demand

The Port of Rotterdam on Wednesday said it expects sales of liquified natural gas (LNG) as a bunker fuel to increase in the coming years as ships are forced to switch to cleaner sources of energy.

Europe's largest sea port expects throughput of LNG as a bunker fuel to increase to around 30,000 tonnes this year, up from 9,500 tonnes in 2018, director Maud Eijgendaal told reporters.

"If we keep up this growth we can reach a million tonnes by 2025-2030, which would be around 10% of all bunker fuels sold in Rotterdam", she said.

"In 2020 we expect to have seven or eight bunker vessels in the port area. That is a strong signal that there is a lot of demand. This comes from vessels from all segments: cruisers, tankers, container ships, dredgers; big and small. It looks promising," she said.

Reporting by Bart Meijer