Finnish shipping company Containerships has carried out first bunkering of LNG during cargo operations.
On July 4th, 2019, Containerships successfully carried out SIMOPS bunkering on its LNG -powered Containerships NORD vessel in the Port of Rotterdam. The vessel thus became the first container carrier performing SIMOPS in Europe by means of «ship-to-ship»bunkering.
To ensure a fluent and safe ship-to-ship bunkering, Containerships worked closely together with Shell, its bunker supplier, with the Port of Rotterdam and with the RST Terminal. The vessel received approximately 200 tons of LNG.
This unprecedented achievement paves the way for this procedure to be performed on other LNG-powered vessels, including the recently delivered Containerships POLAR, the sister ship of the Containerships NORD.
SIMOPS, which allows for loading and unloading procedures to take place at the same time as the bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG), is considered to be a pivotal aspect of making LNG shipping more efficient.
It is said that this «unprecedented achievement»will lead the way for SIMOPS to be performed on other LNG-powered ships, including Containerships’ recently delivered POLAR vessel.
The benefits of carrying out these processes at the same time are numerous, as the ship’s stay in the port is reduced significantly and operational delays are avoided.
As a result of this, transit times may also be reduced to provide customers of CMA CGM and Containerships a more reliable and speedier connection between Northern Europe and the Baltics.
