Nauticor and Unifeeder conduct first SIMOPS LNG bunker operation in the Port of Helsinki for the container feeder vessel “Wes Amelie”
On September 21th, 2019, the world’s first container ship retrofitted with a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) engine, “Wes Amelie”, received LNG through a SIMOPS (simultaneous operations) ship-to-ship bunker operation from the world’s largest LNG bunker supply vessel “Kairos”. The operation took place at the Vuosaari Harbour container terminal in the Port of Helsinki, Finland. The transfer of LNG between the two vessels marks an important step in several aspects, with the operation being the first LNG ship-to-ship operation for the Port of Helsinki as well as the first SIMOPS LNG ship-to-ship operation for a container vessel in the Baltic Sea in general.
The SIMOPS LNG ship-to-ship bunker operation was the first such operation conducted by “Wes Amelie” and “Kairos”. Nevertheless, both vessels already conducted their first LNG ship-to-ship operation at anchorage in front of Visby, Sweden, in April 2019.
By using LNG, a wide range of emissions, especially sulphur, nitrogen and particle matters, as well as carbon dioxide, can be significantly reduced.
Unifeeder A/S
The Unifeeder Group is a dynamic logistics company, which includes Unifeeder, provider of the largest feeder and shortsea network in Europe, and sister company Unimed Feeder Services, a leading feeder operator in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The Unifeeder Group fleet consists of ≈ 50 vessels and the company has ≈ 420 employees across offices in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Drammen, Helsinki, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Gdynia, Stallingsborough, St. Petersburg and Limassol.
Nauticor GmbH & Co. KG
The Hamburg based company Nauticor GmbH & Co. KG is a leading supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for ships. As a part of The Linde Group, a world-wide leading gas and engineering company, Nauticor combines a broad range of competencies in cryogenic technology, logistics, and bunkering to develop LNG supply solutions for maritime customers in Northwest Europe. It is Nauticor’s strategy to cover the entire LNG value chain from the terminal to the end customer, including sourcing, transport, storage and bunkering in strategically important ports.
Port of Helsinki Ltd.
Helsinki is the busiest passenger port in Europe, with 12,1 million passengers in 2018. The Port of Helsinki creates a seamless framework for sea traffic to destinations such as Tallinn and Stockholm. With 14,7 million tons of cargo in 2018, the Port of Helsinki is also Finland’s leading general port for foreign cargo traffic, serving the business world and well-being of the Helsinki region and the whole country.
