Enagás and the Norwegian shipowner Knutsen have launched this Thursday the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel with a permanent base in the Catalan capital. The Port of Barcelona thus becomes a preferred stop for vessels that run on this less polluting fuel compared to traditional fuels.
The Haugesund Knutsen is the only vessel of its kind operating in all of Spain, and globally, there are only about forty. "Today the Port of Barcelona enters the select club of ports that have this service," defended the CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo.
The new vessel will load LNG at the regasification plant that Enagás has in the Catalan port, one of the three it has in the Mediterranean, along with those in Sagunto and Cartagena, with Barcelona's being the largest. According to the company, it is also the European facility with the largest storage capacity for this transition fuel.
With more than 92 meters in length, the newly christened vessel has a storage capacity of 5,000 cubic meters of LNG and a supply capacity of 1,000 cubic meters/hour. The Haugesund Knutsen has been built in Spain by Astilleros Armón Gijón and chartered by Shell España.
In addition to the construction of the new vessel, Enagás has adapted a pier to be able to supply LNG to other ships. It will be destined for vessels going to other Mediterranean ports where large cargo ships cannot dock.
LNG supply since 2017
The Port of Barcelona began providing LNG in 2017, testing it for the first time with a Baleària ferry. During these years, the loading has been done through vessels that came loaded with this fuel. "Today we are not starting this adventure," remarked the president of the Port Authority of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, in one of his first acts in office.
Now, the infrastructure will be able to offer a better service to ships that run on this fuel, whether they stop in Barcelona or finish their journey, in addition to supplying other ports in the Mediterranean region. According to Enagás, there are a total of 355 vessels that use LNG internationally, to which another 222 that are under construction will have to be added.
Once the commitment to LNG was consolidated, the Port of Barcelona and Enagás have signed a memorandum to jointly promote green hydrogen projects, with an eye on the development of the first corridor of the European Union, H2Med ---formerly known as MidCat and BarMar---, with an estimated cost of 2.5 billion euros.