Low and zero-emission fuels supplier Titan has completed what is said to be the first-ever LNG bunkering operation by ship in the port of Cuxhaven, Germany, marking another industry-first.
For this operation, Titan deployed Optimus, the 6,000 cubic meter LNG bunker vessel, to deliver LNG to trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Ariane operated by Dutch maritime contracting company Van Oord.
According to Titan, the ship-to-ship bunkering in Cuxhaven represents a pioneering step in the region’s LNG infrastructure development. So far, LNG operations had been conducted via truck and the port currently permits LNG bunkering at only one berth.
“LNG infrastructure development is part of a broader trend, with more ports across Germany adopting LNG operations to support shipping’s clean fuels transition. Improved LNG bunkering capabilities in Cuxhaven, a Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG port, also open up the pathway to maritime decarbonisation via liquified biomethane (LBM) and then renewable e-methane going forwards,” Titan said.
Titan’s Optimus and Van Oord’s Vox Ariane were participants in Titan’s first ship-to-ship LNG bunker operations in Hamburg last year.
In collaboration with Carnival Corporation, one of the world’s largest cruise companies, Titan also executed the first-ever LNG bunker operation in another German port, namely the port of Kiel , in 2023.