LNG giant Shell and its partners have completed what they say is the first-ever cruise ship LNG bunkering in the port of Gibraltar.
According to a social media post by Shell’s head of downstream LNG, Tahir Faruqui, Shell joined forces with Silversea Cruises, the ultra-luxury brand of Royal Caribbean Group, Dutch gas shipping firm Anthony Veder, and also the Gibraltar Port Authority to complete the operation.
“Notably, this operation was also the Port of Gibraltar’s first ‘in-port’ bunkering, highlighting Shell’s commitment to develop Gibraltar as a key LNG bunkering hub, offering bunkering services both within the port and at the anchorage,” he said.
The 7,500-cbm bunkering vessel Coral Methane delivered liquefied natural gas to the LNG-powered Silver Nova on September 24. Shell charters this bunkering ship from Anthony Veder.
On the other hand, Germany’s Meyer Werft handed over the first LNG-powered Nova class cruise vessel to Silversea Cruises in July.
Silver Nova has a travel capacity of 728 guests and a gross tonnage of 54,700 tons.
Shell’s large LNG bunkering network
Back in 2021, Shell completed the first LNG bunkering operation in Gibraltar after it secured a licence from the British overseas territory’s port operator.
Shell is investing heavily in its LNG bunkering business.
In July, Pan Ocean and Shell named a new LNG bunkering vessel with a capacity of 18,000 cbm which Shell will deploy in the Americas.
Moreover, New Frontier 2 is the third LNG bunkering vessel which Shell will deploy in the Americas and is part of the company’s fleet of 12 bunkering vessels, enabling Shell LNG’s availability across key bunkering locations worldwide.
Shell recently also added two more LNG bunkering locations in Europe, Flushing, and Antwerp.
With this, the company expanded its network to 19 locations across 12 countries.
