Avenir LNG’s dual-purpose bunkering and supply vessel Avenir Aspiration has delivered a new cargo to the Higas terminal located on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Higas, which is 80 percent owned by London-based small-scale player Avenir LNG, revealed this in a statement earlier this week.
According to its AIS data provided by VesselsValue, the 7,500-cbm Avenir Aspiration already left the facility in the Port of Oristano. The vessel arrived at the small-scale facility last week, the data shows.
Avenir LNG, a joint venture consisting of Stolt-Nielsen, Hoegh and Golar, said in its quarterly results report last month that the vessel was in the Baltics for “some bunkering test operations.”
The firm said then it had expected Avenir Aspiration to arrive in the Mediterranean by the beginning of 2022 to start serving the terminal in Sardinia.
Third out of six newbuilds
China’s CIMC SOE delivered the vessel to Avenir LNG, the third out of six newbuilds, in October after it departed to Europe. The vessel also visited Italy’s port of La Spezia in November.
Unlike its sister vessel Avenir Accolade, which delivered the first cargo to the Higas terminal in May 2021 and started its charter with New Fortress Energy’s LNG Power, Avenir Aspiration will mainly serve the Sardinian facility but also other customers in the region.
Besides Avenir LNG, Italian engineering firm Gas & Heat, who was also the EPC contractor, has a 10 percent stake in Higas.
CPL Concordia also holds 10 percent share in the storage, regasification and distribution facility in the Port of Oristano.
The terminal has six horizontal low-pressure cryogenic Type C tank storage tanks with a total capacity of 10,800 cbm.
It will load up to 8,000 LNG trucks per year – equivalent to 180,000 tons per year – via two loading bays, according to Avenir LNG.
Additionally, it will supply the fuel mainly for use as fuel for automotive, industrial, civil and marine industries.
