Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel has hit the water in Keppel Nantong Shipyard in China. The vessel was moved from land to water on May 28, 2020.
The news was shared earlier this week by the vessel-owner FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum.
"Construction of the 7,500m3 LNG bunkering vessel is progressing smoothly and is on schedule to be completed in 4Q2020," FueLNG said in a statement earlier this week.
The LNG bunkering vessel will enable FueLNG to be the first in Singapore to provide regular ship-to-ship LNG bunkering services within the Singapore port.
It supports initiatives implemented by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to increase the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel, facilitating the growth of Singapore as a global LNG bunkering hub.
Saunak Rai, General Manager of FueLNG, said, “There is a growing number of LNG-fuelled vessels in the world and FueLNG is well-positioned to seize LNG bunkering opportunities in Singapore. We have safely completed more than 200 truck-to-ship bunkering operations with no incidents, a testament to our high standards and operational expertise. Building Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel demonstrates FueLNG’s confidence in LNG as a marine fuel. The vessel will enhance our range of services and boost our efforts to further increase the availability of LNG in the market.”
FueLNG says its bunkering vessel will further enhance the LNG bunkering infrastructure in Singapore and support the growth of the industry through the development of best practices such as technical standards.
"The expansion of the LNG bunkering infrastructure will also create more opportunities in adjacent sectors in Singapore, such as ship design, construction, operation, and repair, as well as in LNG trading," the company said.
The vessel, which is able to run on both LNG and marine diesel oil, is currently being built to the proprietary MTD 7500U LNG design developed by Keppel O&M’s technology arm, Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech) for cleaner and safer bunkering activities.
Key features of the vessel include high maneuverability which enables bunkering without tug assistance, compatibility with a wide range of vessels, as well as propulsion and power management systems that optimize fuel consumption. The vessel has a filling rate range of up to 1000m3 of LNG per hour and is able to supply LNG to various types of vessels at heights ranging from 3m to 23m above water level.