The first European LNG bunker plant is being built in the Cologne-Niehler harbor
Published: April 26, 2019
Source: www.veus-shipping.com
From: Dipl. – Ing. Peter Pospiech
The construction of Europe’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker station is in full swing. The LNG bunker facility will be built on Europe’s busiest waterway, the Rhine, in Cologne-Niehler Hafen (Am Molenkopf 17). With the planned opening in July 2019, the initiator PitPoint.LNG is taking an important step to make methane available as a clean fuel for inland shipping.
Works on the construction of the first European bunker facility in Cologne-Niehler Hafen (© PitPoint.LNG)
The LNG bunker facility will be the first permanent LNG refueling site for inland vessels in Europe. While LNG inland waterway vessels are currently still mainly supplied by tank trucks, the construction of this LNG bunker facility offers many advantages for inland navigation – e.g. more flexibility through 24/7 availability and a significantly shorter bunker time. With the realization of this LNG bunker facility at the logistics location in Cologne, the initiator PitPoint.LNG is helping to make methane more readily available as a fuel for inland shipping. The content of the cryo-tank was given by PitPoint.LNG as 200m3.
“With the construction of this bunker facility, we are taking a big step towards our goal of enabling cleaner transport by road and water. This bunker facility on Europe’s busiest waterway is an important milestone in the further development of the international LNG refuelling infrastructure, “explains Jan Willem Drijver, Managing Director of PitPoint.LNG.
Less pollution from the use of methane
The new LNG bunker facility is part of the European Commission’s plans to implement LNG road and water infrastructure. Driving with methane brings measurable environmental benefits and contributes to the improvement of air quality. Compared to the current European emission requirements (CCNR II), gas engines cause lower emissions of harmful and polluting substances compared to diesel engines, namely 20 – 25% less CO₂, at least 70% less NOₓ and over 95% less particulate matter. This has a direct impact on the health of local residents on the Rhine in Cologne and other cities.
The LNG bunker facility is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union.
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