Yamal LNG vessels to make up to 160 transfers in Norwegian waters by mid-2019
Northern Norway’s small port of Honningsvag will host between 150 and 160 ship-to-ship transfers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos from Russia’s Yamal by mid-2019, the local council that owns the port said on Tuesday. The first transfer in Norwegian waters took place last week as part of Yamal operator Novatek’s plan to free up its ice-breaker LNG vessels, allowing them to return sooner to the plant to pick up more cargos. From Honningsvag, shipments to global markets are made by regular LNG ships. The port expects to earn around 10 million crowns ($1.16 million) for the service, while the local retail and hotel industry will see additional benefits, harbour council spokeswoman and local mayor Kristina Sigursdottir Hansen said. Norway’s Tschudi Shipping will provide the ship-to-ship transfers, its chief executive Jon Edvard Sundnes said. “There is a contract until June … (It’s( a big deal and very promising for the future,” he said, but declined to comment on its commercial details. Transferring cargoes in Norway cuts the journey of ice-breaking tankers — limited in number — by around 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles), enabling more Yamal LNG to be shipped. The first ship-to-ship transfer in Norway was conducted last week between the Arc7 Vladimir Rusanov tanker and the Pskov tanker, with five more empty vessels converging there this week.