Switzerland’s largest renewable energy producer Axpo has signed a ten-year deal to charter an LNG bunkering vessel.
The long-term agreement has been signed with Italy’s Gas and Heat SpA and the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard.
The vessel will be built in the San Giorgio’s shipyard in Piombino, Italy, with a capacity of up to 7,500 cubic metres. It is set to become operational in 2025. In the future, the ship could also transport bio-LNG and ammonia, an emerging zero-carbon fuel in the shipping sector.
The project will be located off the coast of Naples and will provide ship-to-ship and ship-to-truck services.
According to Axpo, this will be the first use in Europe of continuous ship-to-truck operations. The vessel will feature a flexible multi-truck bunkering skid mounted onboard to enable the loading of several trucks simultaneously, significantly reducing bunkering time.
The flagship project was set up in collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Central Tyrrhenian Sea and Naples port authorities.
