For the first time in its history a conventional sized reload has been conducted at Dutch Gate terminal.
On 5 November, the “LNG Excel” moored at Gate terminal on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The carrier has a capacity of 135,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is a so called “full sized” LNG vessel. The arrival of the “LNG Excel” marks that the terminal grows into a liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub.
Gasunie and Vopak, the initiators and partners in Gate terminal, originally developed this terminal as a LNG import terminal. In addition to the importing capacity, Gate terminal is now also an export terminal.
On 6 September 2013 the first small scale reload was conducted at Gate. Through Gate terminal the Netherlands now gets the ability to not only transport gas through the Dutch pipeline network, but also transport LNG as clean alternative to traditional transport fuel for shipping and road trucks.
As a first step Gate terminal completed the additional investments to facilitate their customers to berth small vessels and reload LNG in order to support the small scale market and global trading developments. A truck loading station for reloading of LNG will be ready Q1 2014. With this the start of small scale LNG for the use of LNG as fuel is a fact.
[mappress] LNG World News Staff, November 11, 2013; Image: Gate