Ports of Rotterdam and Gothenburg partner to accelerate establishing LNG as maritime fuel

10 October 2012

With eyes on upcoming, more stringent sulfur fuel rules, the Port of Rotterdam (the largest port in Europe), and the Port of Gothenburg (the largest port in Scandinavia) have entered a new alliance to speed up the establishment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a maritime fuel.

Both ports are located within the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) in northern Europe where stricter rules governing sulfur in maritime fuel are due to be introduced in 2015. The aim is to have infrastructure for LNG bunkering available once the sulfur regulations come into effect.

We see LNG as an important opportunity for the maritime industry to comply with the sulfur directive in 2015. The use of LNG as a fuel fits in our policy to become the most sustainable port. We consider the Port of Gothenburg as a strong partner in the Scandinavian market for this issue.

—Ronald Paul, COO, Rotterdam Port Authority

With LNG, sulfur and particle emissions from marine engines would be reduced to almost zero, nitrogen oxide emissions by 85-90 % and net greenhouse gases by 15-20%.

To achieve the LNG target at both ports by 2015, rapid development is required in a number of areas. The necessary infrastructure at the ports needs to be constructed and rules will need to be drafted for handling LNG. It is also vital that the two ports promote awareness of LNG as a maritime fuel.