Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel FueLNG Bellina loaded LNG in what FueLNG described as the country’s first ship-to-ship transfer.
FueLNG is a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum. The JV owns the 7,500 cubic metres FueLNG Bellina . Keppel O&M ’s Nantong shipyard built the vessel and delivered it in January 2021.
On 29 March 2022, FueLNG informed that FueLNG Bellina participated in “the first time LNG has been loaded via ship-to-ship transfer in Singapore.”
According to FueLNG, this demonstrates the resilience of Shell’s LNG bunkering supply chain.
The ship loaded LNG from the LNG carrier Pan Asia at Raffles Reserve Anchorage. The LNGC was en route to another location in South East Asia. To remind, the 174,000-cbm LNGC was built in 2017 for joint investors to transport LNG from the QCLNG project in Australia to China.
Due to its location, Singapore is a major transit point for vessels including tankers transporting LNG. FueLNG says it is able to load LNG from Shell’s global fleet of LNGCs passing through the Port of Singapore, and use the LNG to provide bunker for customers in the country.
In addition, it insisnt on promoting the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel. It has also been working to boost the growth of Singapore as a global LNG bunkering hub.
The JV had over 460 operations conducted in 2021, comprising STS and truck-to-ship bunkering, and truck-to-industry operations. It is currently the only provider of STS bunkering in Singapore and has completed 24 STS bunkering operations since March 2021,
FueLNG won the World LNG Award 2021 for outstanding contribution in early December 2021.