Oceania and Pilbara Clean Fuels unveil LNG bunkering scheme for Port Hedland
Australia’s Pilbara Clean Fuels (PCF) and Oceania Marine Energy have agreed to work together to develop an ‘end-to-end’ low-carbon profile eLNG production and ship bunkering capability concept for the port of Port Hedland, the world’s top iron ore export facility.
PCF is pursuing the development of an electrified liquefied natural gas (eLNG) plant in Port Hedland, principally for the production of marine bunker fuel, with a base case capacity of 0.5 mtpa and a potential expansion to over 1 mtpa. Meanwhile, Perth-based Oceania is developing an LNG marine fuel bunkering business using a purpose-designed LNG refuelling vessel to be chartered from Norway’s Kanfer Shipping.
The project will provide an Australian LNG fuel supply capability through a new facility for the conversion of pipeline natural gas to LNG, responding to market demand for cleaner marine bunker fuel for iron ore carriers operating round-trip voyages. The plant design is intended to significantly slash emissions compared to conventional LNG plants, thereby providing the ability “to achieve substantially lower overall greenhouse gas life-cycle emissions than other options.”
Nick Bentley, Oceania’s managing director, commented: “Oceania and PCF’s collaboration heralds the beginning of a new decarbonisation initiative in Western Australia, enabling a much-needed lower-carbon fuel source for shipping. The Oceania and PCF collaboration is aimed at providing a supply capability for low-carbon footprint LNG, for the first time available on-route to the Australia Asia iron ore shipping fleets.”
