Elengy, a unit of the French energy company and LNG player Engie, together with Fosmax LNG, have started works on adapting the Fos Cavaou LNG terminal for LNG bunkering service.
In its statement, Elengy said the service will enable the terminal to accommodate smaller vessels with the capacity below 20,000 cubic meters which, after loading their LNG tanks at Fos Cavaou, will be able to supply ships in the port of Marseille-Fos and other sites in the Mediterranean sea.
More and more cruise ships, container ships and ferries now operate or plan to operate using LNG, a response to the challenges of energy transition in terms of cleaner energy, Elengy said, adding that in recognition of its positive impact on energy transition, 30 percent of the project is being financed by European funding.
This new service primarily calls for work to modify the wharf at the Fos Cavaou LNG terminal, which will be completed in June 2019.
Elengy and Fosmax LNG estimate that the Fos Cavaou terminal will be able to accommodate around 50 micro-tankers per year, in other words, one a week.
The addition of the LNG bunkering service follows the decision to build a loading station for LNG tankers at the Fos Cavaou terminal , with the two companies working towards the creation of an LNG hub in Fos.