New Incentive for Ships that Bunker LNG in Rotterdam
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Rotterdam is introducing an additional incentive to bunker LNG, liquefied natural gas. The Port of Rotterdam Authority has reserved a total of EUR 1.5 million for this incentive. The scheme will apply until 2020.
Up until this time, seagoing vessels that bunker LNG in Rotterdam can benefit from a 10% discount on gross seaport dues thanks to the new scheme. Allard Castelein – CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority – announced this on 15 December 2015 during the second day of the ‘LNG Masterplan final event’.
LNG is the cleanest fossil fuel. Encouraging the use of this fuel is in keeping with the Port Authority’s aim to make Rotterdam’s port the most sustainable in its class. In addition to the new incentive, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is also supporting the Environmental Ship Index and the Green Award by offering ships incentives.
In total, these measures mean that the Port Authority will be providing EUR 1.5 to 2 million in incentives to encourage sustainable shipping annually.
The Port Authority’s intention is to encourage the bunkering of LNG at the port and thereby support the shipping sector and parties like Shell and Gate, which explicitly promote the use of LNG. In the meantime, shipping company Containerships has stated that it will operate and bunker two LNG vessels in Rotterdam from 2017.
In early December 2015, the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Company started building the LNG bunker vessel that Shell will operate in the port of Rotterdam. It is expected that Shell will begin using the first LNG bunker vessel in the port of Rotterdam in early 2017.