International:
Europe’s first permanent LNG bunker station opens in Germany
PitPoint has opened Europe’s first shore-to-ship LNG bunker station for inland shipping at the Niehler Hafen in the Port of Cologne. Co-financed by the European Union, this opening represents a concrete step towards facilitating clean maritime transport, and is part of PitPoint.LNG’s plans to develop a European LNG infrastructure for heavy-duty transport by road and water. The strategic location of the station between Basel and Rotterdam and good access to the location were the main reasons for choosing the Port of Cologne.
With the new shore-to-ship bunker station in place along Europe’s busiest waterway, another positive step has been taken in developing the LNG infrastructure required for facilitating the uptake of LNG as fuel for maritime transport. The new bunkering station significantly expedites the bunkering process: where LNG-fueled vessels were required to submit a request and schedule an appointment to purchase LNG from a truck-to-ship bunkering station, shore-to-ship bunkering can now be done faster and easier via the station’s powerful pumps. Moreover, the station is open 24/7, with professional service engineers available to provide bunkering services. In the near future, the station will be able to fuel two vessels at the same time.
“We are very proud to welcome Europe’s first permanent LNG bunker station at our port in Cologne. This is another building block in our approach to focus on sustainable and environmentally friendly transport. LNG is known to be a reliable and clean alternative fuel, which helps reduce pollutant emissions in particular. That is why we see the use of LNG as an important step towards a sustainable future for logistics,” said Jan Sönke Eckel and Wolfgang Birlin, Managing Directors of port operator RheinCargo
The LNG bunker station is the result of a supply chain collaboration. Together with shippers, port companies, shipping companies, transport companies and support of the European Union, PitPoint has worked hard to make European inland shipping more sustainable. The company’s goal is to harness LNG to pave the way for 100% clean transport by 2030.