Spanish logistics firm ESK said it has completed a milestone liquefied natural gas bunkering operation to Balearia’s LNG-powered fast ferry Eleanor Roosevelt.
ESK Gas Logistics completed the multi truck-to-ship (MTTS) bunkering operation last week in the port of Denia, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
The firm said it has performed more than 1500 LNG bunkering operations since 2015.
ESK also supplied LNG for Eleanor Roosevelt’s first-ever bunkering operation in the port of Gijon earlier this year.
Balearia took delivery of this vessel claimed to be the world’s first LNG-powered fast ferry for passengers and cargo from shipbuilder Armon Gijon in April.
LNG bunkering operations continue to rise in Spain following a record last year, as fueling infrastructure expanded and more LNG-powered vessels joined the global fleet.
Balearia’s LNG-powered vessels are the main drivers behind the surge in these bunkering operations.
Spanish ports hosted a total of 705 LNG ship bunkering operations in the January-July period, according to Spain’s Gasnam, an association that supports the promotion of LNG as fuel.
This represents a rise of 84 percent when compared to 384 operations in the same period last year, Gasnam’s data shows.
Also, the January-July total almost reached the 741 LNG ship bunkering operations registered for the entire 2020, which also increased nearly four times compared to the year before.
Most of these supplies ended up in LNG-powered ferries owned by Balearia, followed by cruise ships, and other types of vessels.