Spanish Port Hosts First LNG Operations

The port of Ferrol hosted its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation recently which saw two ferries filled with LNG by Repsol in the port’s Mugardos terminal.

Recently built by Turkish shipyard Tersan, the Samnøy and Huftarøy ferries received 178 cubic metres of fuel from five tanks in total. The Samnøy received about 110 cubic metres of fuel, whereas the Huftarøy was supplied with 68 cubic metres.

The two operations were carried out on the outer jetty, which is the dock of the inner dock where small and medium-sized cruise ships usually dock when they visit the city.

They were on their way to the Norwegian fjords, where they will be exploited in passenger services by the Torghatten Nord shipping company. With a length of 134 meters and a width of 21m, both vessels have been designed to transport up to 545 people and up to 180 vehicles. Their propulsion systems enables them to operate in a more ecological way.

The supply operations were made by Repsol, which used five tankers (three on Saturday and two on Sunday) that had previously been filled with LNG at the Reganosa terminal.

The Samnøy received about 110 cubic meters of fuel whereas the Huftarøy was supplied with 68 cubic meters. A total of 178 cubic meters were transferred in simple, safe and clean operations.

According to José Manuel Vilariño, president of the Port Authority, “Ferrol is very well positioned to attract customers of this kind of supply operations.  It has LNG available in its port and is located in a strategic location, at the gates of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. These areas have been declared ECA zones and have their gas emission rates limited by maritime transport”. Therefore, ships must change the fuel oil for another type of fuel with a low content of pollutants, such as natural gas.

In addition, Reganosa is working to convert Ferrol into a LNG hub of the Iberian northwest, thereby adapting its Mugardos facilities to the new challenge of small-scale liquefied natural gas traffic. The Parliament of Galicia itself has fully supported this project as an strategic step forward.

Liquefied natural gas is 40% cheaper than fuel oil and much more efficient from the environmental point of view. It reduces by 100% the emissions of sulfur oxide and particles, by 90% those of nitrogen oxide and in 20% those of carbon dioxide.