Anthony Veder Chartering Company opts for Zeebrugge’s LNG expertise
For the past week, LNG trials were performed on Anthony Veder’s newly built gas carrier Coral Star. The ship is equipped with a dual fuel engine, which allows the vessel to run on heavy fuel oil (which is still the standard marine fuel) as well as the more environmentally friendly LNG (liquefied natural gas), Port of Zeebrugge said in its press release.
Before Anthony Veder is able to deploy this latest asset to their fleet of gas carriers, the ship’s fuel supply systems and the dual fuel engine needed to be thoroughly tested, both for fuel and for LNG. The fuel tests were completed at the Chinese shipyard, but for the specific LNG tests, Anthony Veder decided that the ship should come to Zeebrugge, due to Zeebrugge’s strong reputation and expertise in LNG.
The technical tests on the Coral Star were performed by Hoppe Maritime Group in Zeebrugge. The tanks were prepared on the terminal in order to receive LNG (cooling down and inerting). The LNG fuel tanks were partially filled with LNG from a truck alongside the quay ( Truck-to-Ship bunkering method). The engine’s power was tested with the aid of a ‘load bank’, an installation that adds artificial ballast, to see whether or not the engine was able to produce enough power to keep the ship moving, also at sea. The Coral Star completed all the tests successfully.
Also the sister vessel Coral Sticho is on its way from China to Zeebrugge for the same assignment. The vessel is expected to arrive in Zeebrugge on 18 October.
“We are very pleased to be able to work with the port of Zeebrugge and Hoppe Maritime Group on this special project. After all, the Coral Star and Anthony Veder’s other new vessels are in fact the world’s first ethylene tankers driven on LNG.” Ferdinand Dekker, Manager Operations Anthony Veder Chartering B.V.
“These operations confirm the role of our terminal in these pioneering times for LNG bunkering. The availability of our installations, the available gas expertise and the generally appreciated flexibility cause gas shipping companies to choose Zeebrugge!”, General Manager Hoppe Maritime Group, Stefaan Hoppe.
These LNG trials performed for Anthony Veder Chartering Company are yet another confirmation that Zeebrugge is in fact a front runner in the development of LNG as a maritime fuel. Earlier, Zeebrugge was chosen to perform LNG Truck-to-Ship bunkering operations for the world’s first two LNG driven tugboats. Also, Mitsubishi Corporation, GDF SUEZ and NYK LINE ordered the world’s first LNG bunkering vessel before the summer, which will operate from the port of Zeebrugge in 2016.