Türkiye’s RMK Marine has completed what it says is Europe’s largest inland waterway LNG bunkering barge. The shipbuilder built the barge for owners Victrol and Sogestran and charterer Shell.
RMK Marine said in a social media post last week the 8,000-cbm, Energy Stockholm, “is ready to be delivered to its operator.”
It did not say when it expects to deliver the vessel.
RMK Marine built the vessel for LNG Shipping, a joint venture of Belgium’s Victrol and France’s Sogestran.
The joint venture will own and operate this vessel, while UK-based LNG giant Shell will charter it for operations in the ports of Zeebrugge, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.
RMK held a launching ceremony for the vessel on July 7, 2023.
The JV changed the vessel’s name as during the keel-laying ceremony in March 2023, the partners announced the vessel as LNG Erasmus.
RMK said the vessel has a dual-fuel propulsion, able to use cargo boil-off gas.
“She will be the first LNG bunker barge to use battery technology and shore power, which will help reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,” it said.
Italy’s Gas & Heat supplied the tanks and cargo handling system for the new vessel designed by the International Naval Engineering Consultants, while MAN delivered the dual-fuel engines.