PitPoint.LNG to build the first LNG bunkering station in Germany
Published: June 29, 2017
PitPoint.LNG will build Germany’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering station in the harbor of Cologne. The new station will facilitate the bunkering of LNG powered inland waterways vessels that sail on Europe’s busiest transport waterway, the Rhine. The construction of the bunkering station is a next step in PitPoint.LNG’s strategy to develop a European LNG infrastructure to facilitate the uptake of LNG as fuel for road and marine transport.
KEY LAUNCHING CUSTOMER
As from the start of operation, which is planned for at mid-2018, this LNG bunkering station will also bunker LNG for the inland dual-fuel barges that Shell Western LNG B.V. (Shell) has chartered. For this purpose, Shell and PitPoint.LNG have signed a long-term agreement. Jan Willem Drijver, Managing Director at PitPoint.LNG: “We are very pleased to start with the realization of this LNG bunkering station and to have Shell as a key launching customer. Enabling companies such as Shell to transport and deliver their goods in a cleaner and more environmental friendly way supports PitPoint’s mission to realize 100% clean transport in 2030.”
Lauran Wetemans, Shell’s General Manager Downstream LNG, said: ”Together with the infrastructure developed in Rotterdam, this station will expand the availability of LNG fuel for customers on the Rhine – Europe’s key inland waterway. We look forward to working with PitPoint.LNG to make this a reality.”
The realisation of this LNG bunkering station is part of the CEF project Breakthrough LNG Deployment in Inland Waterway Transport which is co-financed by the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility.