The first liquefied natural gas bunkering operation in France was completed in the Port of Marseille Fos
On Monday 4 May, the Port of Marseille Fos, Shell and Carnival carried out the first "ship-toship" LNG bunkering operation in France on the Costa Smeralda, Port of Marseille said in its release.
One of the world’s first LNG-powered cruise ships, the COSTA SMERALDA, operated by COSTA of the Carnival Group and berthed in the Port of Marseille Fos, required an LNG delivery. SHELL, under contract with Carnival, is supplying the LNG through one of their bunker vessels.
This vessel was used for the first LNG bunkering operation in France, which was completed on Monday, 4 May 2020, at around 5:00 pm. Ship to ship bunkering: a successful operation In a manoeuvre carried out with great precision and smoothness the CORAL METHANE positioned itself in line with the COSTA SMERALDA’s bunker station.
Once the ship was made fast, the transfer of the loading hose by the ship's crane could begin, followed by the installation of various equipment to allow LNG to be transferred in complete safety. Refuelling continued overnight and the CORAL METHANE departed on 05 May at 04:00. This operation was carried out in perfect coordination between the ship services of the Port of Marseille Fos (lookout, piloting, towing, mooring), the crew of the COSTA SMERALDA, the SHELL teams and the crew of the CORAL METHANE operated by the Dutch shipowner ANTHONY VEDER, and with the reassuring presence of the nautical resources of the Marseille fire-fighters who are closely monitoring this development in liaison with the teams of the Harbour Master's Office at the Port of Marseille Fos.
MARSEILLE FOS, a state-of-the-art port for liquefied natural gas refuelling The Port of Marseille Fos places environmental excellence at the heart of its strategy. It is preparing to become the Mediterranean hub for liquefied natural gas (LNG). Refuelling with liquefied natural gas (LNG) is one of the flagship solutions for limiting the impact of emissions from ships. Compared with current marine fuels, it eliminates almost all sulphur (SOx) and particulate emissions, reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by more than 80% and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 25%.
