By 2016 it should be possible for barges in the port of Antwerp to fuel up with LNG at a fixed station. The possibility for truck-to-ship bunkering with LNG already exists, but the construction of a bunkering station will make LNG continuously available for barges. In comparison with diesel, the fuel currently used by European barges, LNG is much cleaner. The exhaust gases from a barge powered by LNG contain hardly any particulates, and the emissions of NOx and SOx are also drastically reduced.
Construction of the LNG bunkering station
Antwerp Port Authority is one of the partners in the LNG Master Plan for the Rhine-Main-Danube aimed at promoting LNG as a fuel and as a cargo for European barges. As part of this European project the Port Authority is building a bunkering station for barges, partially subsidised by the European Commission’s TEN-T programme. After the European announcement of the selection of candidates earlier this year, the specifications for construction of the station will been given to the selected candidates this month.
Operation of the LNG bunkering station
The Port Authority is now issuing an official Request for Proposals with a view to appointing a candidate to operate the LNG bunkering station, for which the Port Authority will grant a five-year concession. During this period the operator will be responsible for providing LNG to barges in Antwerp and for maintenance and promotion of the facility. Interested parties have until 5 January 2015 to submit their proposals to Antwerp Port Authority.
The Request for Proposals is available at http://www.portofantwerp.com/nl/exploitatie-lng-bunker (in Dutch only).