LNG supplier Titan LNG has christened its bunker barge FlexFueler001 in the Netherlands.
The christening ceremony took place at the Port of Amsterdam on June 26, marking the official commencement of inland waterway LNG bunkering in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region.
Last Wednesday the official christening of @TitanLNG ‘s Flexfueler001 took place in the port of Amsterdam. This event marks the official commencement of safe, efficient and cost-effective inland waterway LNG bunkering in the ARA-region: https://t.co/zwv11a51t0 #cleanshipping #lng pic.twitter.com/BnIwt3ufVP
— Port of Amsterdam (@PortofAmsterdam) June 28, 2019
Commenting on the occasion, Niels den Nijs, CEO of Titan LNG, said: “We’d like to thank Kooiman Marine Group, Cryovat, and MSN for making the project a reality… We thank Beequip, AKEF, and the Province of North Holland for helping to finance the project. Finally, we appreciate the Port of Amsterdam for enabling the realisation of the “home location” of the FlexFueler001 and their support along the way.”
“LNG is the cool clean fuel available now at economical prices that future proofs all vessels that run on this environmentally friendlier fuel. Titan is … proud to build an ecosystem together with our partners. We will continue to follow our mission of making LNG easily accessible for all our customers,” he added.
“We are very excited about the FlexFueler, which makes it possible to bunker LNG by barge around our port. It is the first dedicated LNG Bunker barge in Europe and it helps us to realize our ambition to become one of the most clean and sustainable ports in the world,” Femke Brenninkmeijer, director Energy, Cargo & Offshore Port of Amsterdam, said.
The christening came two weeks after the new barge performed its first official bunkering in the Port of Rotterdam.
At the moment, the FlexFueler001 is operated by Amulet Marine Services. It serves vessels ranging from tankers, containerships to RoRos. The operations are becoming increasingly efficient, both in the Port of Amsterdam, the Port of Rotterdam, and in the near future in Antwerp as well, according to Titan LNG.
The FlexFueler001 is the first in a series of three vessels. FlexFueler002 is currently under construction and is planned to be completed by mid-2020. It will be deployed in the Port of Antwerp.
In addition, the third vessel will be announced in the coming months, as informed by the company.