Ferry company Balearia cuts 2022 LNG bunker purchases by 95% - Ship & Bunker
Spanish ferry company Balearia significantly curtailed its LNG bunker purchases last year in response to surging natural gas prices, according to Ship & Bunker.
The company consumed 36,937 MWh of LNG bunker last year, it said in its latest sustainability report, down by 94.7% from the 698,532 MWh used in 2021.
The firm's use of marine diesel oil jumped by 29.4% to 103,266 m3, while its use of fuel oil surged by 88.4% to 136,733 mt. Balearia operates ferries around the coast of Spain and the Balearic Islands.
Shipping companies around the world with dual-fuelled tonnage capable of running on LNG largely shifted back to using conventional bunkers where possible last year. LNG bunker sales at Rotterdam dropped by 45.7% on the year, while sales in Singapore slumped by 68%. LNG bunkers in fuel oil terms delivered at Rotterdam peaked at $3,660/mt on August 30 of last year, according to Ship & Bunker data, up by 233.6% from the pre-war level seen on February 23.
Partly as a result of its shift away from LNG, Balearia's emissions climbed by 25.3% to 717,239 mt of CO2 equivalent in 2022, while the number of miles sailed by its vessels rose by 14% on the year. But the firm's energy efficiency improved, with consumption per mile down by 4% on the year at 1.71 MWh/nm.
