Swedish tanker becomes first foreign-flag ship to bunker LNG in U.S.

Written by Nick Blenkey
Tanker being fueled with LNG from shore

GAC BunkerFuels's first U.S, LNG bunkering breakthrough was the bunkering of Swdish-owned tanker Fure Ven

Fure Ven, a dual-fueled vessel owned and operated by Furetank of Donsö, Sweden, has become become the first non-U.S. flagged vessel to bunker LNG in the United States, using LNG sourced by Eagle LNG.

The bunkering operation took place September 1, when the 18,000 DWT vessel transited the St. Johns River, calling at the Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT) Talleyrand Marine Terminal, which serves Crowley Maritime Corporation.

Eagle LNG Partners safely transferred 225 metric tonnes of LNG to the vessel from its on-site storage facility, with the bunkering evolution taking less than seven hours to complete. The tanker was laden with renewable diesel cargo for Preem, the largest petroleum and biofuels company headquartered in Sweden.

Eagle LNG says the milestone paves the way for more internationally trading vessels to bunker with LNG at JAXPORT.

The bunkering operation was carried out under U.S. Coast Guard oversight.

“There are over 150 existing non-gas carrier foreign vessels that are utilizing low flashpoint fuels as a marine fuel and over 200 more vessels on order. With the increasing eco-friendly demands, Fure Ven marks the inaugural foreign vessel gas bunker operation to occur in the U.S,” said Lt. Yue Shen, of the USCG Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise.

GAC Group assisted all parties by broking the LNG fuel and providing ship agency services to the vessel during her voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. This is the first time in its history that GAC’s Bunker Fuels division has secured a deal to supply LNG as a marine fuel.

Fure Ven is one of Furetank’s V-Series, a new generation of product and chemical tankers introduced in 2018, which leverage innovative design features and LNG to deliver a fuel consumption reduction of approximately 40%. The vessels have also achieved substantial reductions in emissions – 55% less CO2, 86% less NOx, 99% less SOx and 99% less particulate matter (PM) – compared to conventionally-fueled vessels of the same size, of earlier designs.

“We note with pleasure that LNG bunkering is becoming available in more and more places, not least the U.S., and we are confident that investing in the V-series particularly contributes to a cleaner environment worldwide,” said Lars Höglund, CEO of Furetank.

“As a pioneer in LNG bunkering and a global leader in small-scale LNG, the team at Eagle LNG is proud to have partnered with the trailblazers at Furetank and GAC, along with numerous crucial stakeholders including JAXPORT, Crowley Maritime and the U.S. Coast Guard, to safely accomplish this first-ever LNG bunkering of a foreign flagged tanker in the United States,” said Sean Lalani, president of Eagle LNG. “Were it not for the pioneering spirit of our partners at Crowley Maritime, with whom we have already safely completed over 100 bunkering events, and the vision of Chairman and CEO Tom Crowley, this historic milestone for LNG bunkering globally and for North Florida would not have been possible.”

Nicholas Browne, GAC Bunker Fuels’ Global Director, said: “We are proud to have worked alongside Furetank and Eagle LNG to deliver the safe and successful refueling of Fure Venn in Jacksonville. Like Furetank and Eagle LNG, GAC wants to do more than simply follow the development of environmentally friendly shipping—we want to play an active role in creating and facilitating the transition.”

The Coast Guard completed oversight of the first foreign vessel to bunker Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel in Jacksonville, Florida, Sep. 8,2020. The Swedish tankship, Fure Ven, moored alongside Talleyrand Marine Terminal to take on LNG as fuel. The Fure Ven is the first-ever foreign vessel with plans to bunker LNG in Jacksonville. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo)
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