Nauticor’s "Kairos" received the first LNG bunker license in the Port of Rostock Hamburg

At the beginning of December 2019, “Kairos”, the world’s largest bunker supply vessel (BSV) for liquefied natural gas (LNG), received the first license to conduct LNG ship-to-ship bunkering operations in the port of Rostock. The long-term permit was issued by the port authority of Rostock and is valid for the next years, Nauticos said in a press release.

Already since 2017, Nauticor has been supplying LNG to marine customers in the port of Rostock. Back then the product tanker “Fure West”, owned and operated by the Swedish shipping company Furetank, received LNG from several trucks, thereby becoming the first vessel of its kind to bunker LNG in Germany in general.

Richard Schröder, Director Finance & Operations at Nauticor, pointed out the importance of this milestone: “Moving from LNG supply by truck to a ship-to-ship supply solution is the natural next step for the development of Nauticor’s LNG supply business in Rostock. As a result of our extensive track record in providing the chilled fuel to shipowners not only in Rostock, but in Northwest Europe in general, and thanks to the experienced and well prepared people in charge within the responsible authorities in Rostock, the process to receive the permit was effective and smooth.”

The permit to conduct ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operations in the largest German Baltic Sea port was awarded in a timely manner and will be the basis for the supply of LNG to a variety of customers. The preparations for the supply of LNG to their vessels are already ongoing and the first operations will be conducted within the next weeks.

Jens Scharner, Managing Director of Rostock Port, expressed his satisfaction about these developments: “By granting the permit for the first LNG bunker supply vessel in the port of Rostock, the authorities involved have shown again that we have the right framework in place to support those shipowners that take the next step towards more sustainable shipping. With an experienced supplier like Nauticor, we are convinced that LNG bunkering with a bunker vessel can become a standard operation in our port.”

About 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, especially the North and Baltic Sea. 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.