MV Seagas refuels Viking Grace with LNG
The world’s first fuelling vessel for LNG (liquefied natural gas) has undergone a traditional christening ceremony in Stockholm, carried out by Helena Bonnier, the chairman of Ports of Stockholm (Stockholms Hamnar), in the presence of the Minister of Infrastructure, Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, among others.The Minister spoke to the support of the government and TEN-T funding that made the project possible, and described the vessel as “an additional component in a competitive maritime shipping with quality, safety and a strong environmental profile”.
The LNG fuelling vessel, Seagas, is the first in the world of its kind, and is classified under the same regulations that apply to ocean going LNG-tankers. The fuelling vessel will on a daily basis, supply 60-70 tons of LNG to M/S Viking Grace, the new cruise-ship of Viking Line, when the ship is moored at Stadsgården in Stockholm. The fuelling process takes just under an hour and is done from ship to ship through a completely new way of bunkering fuel. Seagas is stationed at Loudden in Stockholm.
Ceremony in Stockholm names MV Seagas
“LNG implies major environmental benefits in comparison to traditional maritime fuel. It is gratifying that we, thanks to the LNG-terminal in Nynäshamn and our purpose-built fuelling vessel, Seagas, can contribute to the infrastructure solution that enables M/S Viking Grace to bunker LNG from ship to ship in the port of Stockholm,” says Jan Bäckvall, CEO, AGA AB.
LNG provides significant environmental benefits in comparison to traditional maritime fuel; carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 20-30 per cent, emissions of sulphur is completely reduced and nitrogen oxide and particle emissions are significantly lower.
The natural gas used as fuel for M/S Viking Grace comes from AGA’s LNG-terminal in Nynäshamn. The terminal, which is the first in the Baltic Sea and also Sweden’s largest terminal for liquefied natural gas, came into operation about two years ago and has a storage capacity of 20 000 m3. The LNG-terminal is an interim storage for the liquid natural gas which is shipped on to customers by truck or by pipeline.
(Source: AGA Gas AB)
