VESSEL REVIEW | Energy Stockholm – Inland-capable LNG bunkering ship to serve Dutch and Belgian ports

LNG Shipping, a joint venture company formed by Belgian shipping firm Victrol and French transport specialist the Sogestran Group, has taken delivery of a new inland bunkering vessel.

Victrol claims that Energy Stockholm is one of the largest LNG bunkering vessels in Europe with an LOA of 135 metres (443 feet), a beam of 22.5 metres (73.8 feet), a draught of 3.5 metres (11 feet), a depth of seven metres (23 feet), a gross tonnage of 7,799, and a cargo capacity of 8,000 cubic metres (280,000 cubic feet).

Compatible with a broad range of commercial vessels

The vessel will serve a long-term time charter contract with Shell Western LNG for bunkering operations in the ports of Zeebrugge, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam (ZARA), though ownership and operation will remain with LNG Shipping.

Victrol expects Energy Stockholm will increase Shell’s bunkering capacity in the ZARA region. It is capable of bunkering a wide variety of vessels from ferries to large containerships, and its LNG cargo handling system allows it to bunker not only traditional tanks but also membrane-type tanks.

The Belgian-flagged Energy Stockholm is LNG Shipping’s second inland bunker vessel chartered to Shell. The first bunker vessel, LNG London, with a capacity of 3,000 cubic metres (100,000 cubic feet), was launched in July 2019. David Patron, Market Director Oil-Chemicals-Gases at Sogestran, said Energy Stockholm will benefit from four years of operational experience on LNG London.

The dual-fuel propulsion system can use cargo boil-off gas, improving its operational efficiency. It is also the first LNG bunker barge to utilise battery technology and shore power, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Flexible propulsion setup for sustained operations

The hybrid electric propulsion system, which can deliver a speed of 11 knots, consists of gas and diesel generators, a 500kWh battery pack, and two Z-drives. The diesel generators can also operate on biodiesel while the battery pack will permit electric-only sailings for up to 30 minutes. The total fuel oil capacity is 127.6 cubic metres (4,506 cubic feet).

Energy Stockholm was built by Turkish shipyard RMK Marine, which also collaborated with both LNG Shipping and Shell on the construction of LNG London. Design work on the newer vessel was provided by Netherlands-based naval architecture firm International Naval Engineering Consultants in compliance with Bureau Veritas class rules.

The vessel is classified by BV as Tanker Type G, Double Hull, Electric Hybrid (Zero Emission), Dual Fuel, with the additional notation “Estuary Plus”, allowing it to operate between the Western Scheldt and the Zeebrugge Harbour within five nautical miles from shore with Annual Survey, and compliant with the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways (ADN).