Study eyes LNG bunkering in Roscoff and Santander

JANUARY 9, 2014 — The European Union’s TEN-T program is kicking in half the cost (just over EUROS 1 million) for series of studies to implementing LNG bunkering facilities in the Port of Roscoff (northwest France) and the Port of Santander (northern Spain).

Beneficiaries and Implementing bodies include the two port authorities and Brittany Ferries.

Although LNG is rapidly emerging as a more environmentally friendly fuel for the maritime sector and its uptake is encouraged by the European Union, the European agency that administers the TEN-T program notes that the market for LNG for maritime transport is presently limited and infrastructure to cater for the small-scale supply of LNG is almost non-existent.

The findings of the studies will be an essential decision making tool for:

a) the ferry operator, to start the construction and the retrofit of LNG vessels

b) port authorities in Roscoff and Santander, to plan the design and the implementation of LNG bunkering stations

c) the authorities in charge of public passenger transport in Spain’s Cantabria region

d) helping to contribute to the realization of the TEN-T “Motorways of the Sea” project.