UK-based small-scale player Avenir LNG has completed its first ship-to-ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation in Germany.
According to a social media post by Avenir, the company’s maiden STS operation in Germany took place on May 5 in the Port of Lübeck.
During the operation, Avenir’s 7,500-cbm LNG bunkering and supply vessel, Avenir Ascension, delivered LNG to TT-Line’s RoPax ferry, Nils Holgersson.
Besides TT-Line, Avenir partnered up with German LNG and bio-LNG distribution specialists from GasCom-Equipment for the operation.
After an initial LNG and bio-LNG bunker operation conducted with trucks by Avenir in 2022, this event marked another milestone as the first STS LNG bunker operation in a German port, Avenir said.
Last year, Avenir started deliveries of LNG to two RoPax ferries owned by Germany’s TT-Line in the Swedish port of Trelleborg.
Trelleborg became the third port that Avenir has served TT-Line’s LNG/bio-LNG requirements, after already completing operations in Pengerang, Malaysia and in Lübeck.
Avenir continues to expand its business and the firm recently ordered two 20,000-cbm LNG bunkering and supply vessels at China’s CIMC SOE.
The joint venture of Stolt-Nielsen, Hoegh LNG, and Golar LNG will take delivery of these vessels in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.
This new investment program marks the second phase of growth for the company, increasing the fleet by 40 percent and 80 percent in terms of total capacity.
The small-scale player currently has one 20,000-cbm ship and four 7,500-cbm LNG bunkering vessels in its fleet, and it owns the Higas terminal located on the Italian island of Sardinia.