The government-owned Basque Energy Entity (EVE, Spanish acronym), natural gas supplier BahÃa Bizkaia Gas (BBG) and the Port Authority of Bilbao have collaborated to provide the port’s first bunkering service providing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to a vessel for fuel.
This first operation was carried out over five hours from an LNG road tanker using truck to ship bunkering, which is able to carry out the procedure without specific in-port facilities. Flexible hoses are the only necessary equipment to connect the ship with the tanker, which incorporates the pumping system.
MV Ireland, the second LNG-powered cement tanker to its owner, JT Cement, a joint venture between Swedish shipping company Erik Thun AB and KG Jebsen Cement from Norway, was the first vessel to be bunkered in this way. The 110 metres long, managed by Bilboa-based Agencia Maritima Artiach Zuazaga, belongs to a regular line between Bilbao and the United Kingdom and Ireland.
(Source: Port Authority of Bilbao)
