Finnish energy company Gasum has completed its first ship-to-ship (STS) liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering involving a cruise ship.
Earlier this month, Gasum’s LNG bunker vessel Coralius delivered LNG to Carnival Corporation’s new cruise ship Costa Smeralda at Meyer Turku shipyard.
The 180,000 GT Costa Smeralda is the first cruise ship in a series of newbuilds at Meyer Turku that will be fitted with LNG propulsion.
Built in 2017, the 5,800 cbm Coralius celebrated its 100th bunkering in late February 2019. The vessel mainly operates in the North Sea and the Skagerrak area.
“Coralius allows us to perform ship-to-ship bunkering to different types of vessels. We are happy that this now includes a cruise ship,” Jacob Granqvist, Sales Director, LNG Marine, Gasum, commented.
LNG is said to be the cleanest available marine fuel, and it’s rapidly becoming the most commonly used alternative to traditional fuels. The use of LNG significantly improves local air quality as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by at least 20%, and it meets all the current and forthcoming regulations set out by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the EU.