The Dutch port of Rotterdam reported a surge in its quarterly LNG bunkering volumes, while the port also hosted its first ship-to-ship bio-LNG bunkering operation.
Europe’s largest bunkering port said LNG volumes reached a record high of 213,250 cubic meters in the third quarter of this year, a rise of 338.5 percent compared to the same quarter in 2020.
LNG bunkering volumes also rose 35.8 percent compared to the previous quarter which also marked a record.
In addition, LNG volumes in the third quarter were higher than all of the 2020 volumes. The port previously said LNG bunkering volumes had reached 210,334 cubic meters in 2020.
Volumes rose in parallel with new deliveries of CMA CGM’s ultra-large containerships which work on the Europe-Asia route and bunker the fuel in Rotterdam via the TotalEnergies-chartered Gas Agility.
France’s CMA CGM took delivery of the last of nine 23,000 TEU LNG-powered vessels in June.
The firm and Shell also recently completed the first bio-LNG bunkering operation in Rotterdam. Shell-chartered LNG London bunkered the Containerships Aurora, a 1,400 TEU LNG-powered vessel, with a nearly 10 percent blend of bio-LNG while calling at the Rotterdam Short Sea Terminals.
The Rotterdam port is a strong supporter of LNG as a bunker fuel and has developed one of the world’s biggest LNG fueling chains.
A total of ten LNG bunkering vessels operate in the port area, of which three are working on a permanent basis, the port previously said. Dutch Gate terminal provides most of these LNG fuel volumes.
