Finland’s Gasum said it has bunkered liquefied biogas (LBG) for the first time to an offshore supply vessel in Norway.
The LNG-powered hybrid PSV Island Crusader, chartered by Lundin Energy Norway and owned by Island Offshore, received the first LBG supply via a truck-to-ship method at the Risavika harbor, close to Stavanger, Gasum said in a statement on Friday.
Gasum says LBG is at the moment the “cleanest maritime fuel available” as it can reduce emissions up to 90 percent.
LBG is also interchangeable with liquefied natural gas (LNG) that is nowadays used more frequently as a fuel in maritime operations, the firm said.
First offshore vessel running on biofuel on Norwegian shelf
Island Offshore said in a separate statement that the LNG-powered Island Crusader is now the first offshore vessel on the Norwegian shelf running on biofuel.
This pilot, run by Lundin Energy Norway, also proves that LNG-powered engines can take biogas without any modifications at all, it said. Prior to the pilot, the engine manufacturer Bergen Engines run tests on land.
Also, Island Offshore said the vessels consumed in total 1,502 tonnes of LNG last year, with associated emissions of 4,206 tonnes.
By using biogas, the vessel would eliminate these CO2 emissions, Island Offshore claims.
Currently, biogas production from organic waste in Norway can not cater to all LNG-powered vessels in Norway but there are plans for new facilities, the firm said.
Gasum has plans to build several new biogas facilities in the Nordics. By 2025, the energy company intends to make 4 TWh of biogas available on the market from its own production.