Fure Vinga bunkered with LBG

Photo: Skangas

Furetank's tanker, which usually runs on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), was filled with 40 m3 of Liquefied Biogas (LBG) by Skangas at the Port of Gothenburg during a truck-to-ship operation.

The supplies came from a biogas facility located in Lidköping and owned by Gasum, Skangas' parent company. The fuelling will make it possible to operate Fure Vinga for about a week. Another LBG bunkering of Fure Vinga is scheduled to take place in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp region.

The bunkering provided by Skangas is most probably the first one with the use of LBG that took place in Sweden. "This is the first time we are supplying LBG to a marine customer. However, it will not be the last," Tommy Mattila, Sales and Marketing Director, Skangas, said.

He furthered, "To be increasingly greener with the renewable biogas is possible because we use the same infrastructure that we've built throughout northern Europe. This means that LNG and LBG will continue to walk hand in hand as the availability of LBG on the market is on the rise."

"Running vessels on liquefied natural gas is our contribution to a more environmentally friendly environment. We will, however, contribute by increasing the sustainability. Using liquefied biogas was a natural step in this direction. No doubt LBG will be a clear option for us. It is proven by this operation that it can be available from our existing LNG supplier and not at least with the same quality as our current LNG fuel," Lars Höglund, CEO, Furetank, also commented.

Because LBG and LNG mainly consist of methane (94% and 80-92%, respectively), they can be used interchangeably on-board vessels with gas-powered engines.

The biogas from Lidköping is made from 100% local feedstock. Firstly, biogas is produced through the processing of various types of organic waste. Secondly, the gas is purified and upgraded to contain even as much as 97% methane. Third, biogas is liquefied by cooling it down to -160°C, which makes it possible to transport it by tank trucks.