The European Union’s TEN-T Program will support with almost €4 million the pilot construction of this pioneering facility near Middlesbrough and the LNG propulsion system of two new ships. The project, which is to be completed by December 2015, will help reduce maritime pollution and back the roll-out of LNG technology countrywide.
The initiative is a real breakthrough in the use of LNG for short sea shipping as it will develop a dedicated LNG supply and demand chain in the UK. It will also demonstrate the viability of LNG as an environmentally sound alternative to present marine fuels, as well as its high potential for short sea shipping in the UK and the North Sea.
The project, which will deploy a LNG bunkering facility in the Port of Teesport and test an innovative LNG fuel system on two ethylene carriers in the sea, will also encourage the use of liquefied natural gas for marine and road transport in the UK by performing technical and market studies in other ports.
It was selected for funding with the assistance of external experts under the TEN-T Annual Call 2013, priority ‘Decarbonisation / oil substitution or environmental cost reduction’. Its implementation will be monitored by INEA, the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency.
Source: Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA).
