Santander sees the infrastructure needed to supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker as a strategic port in northern Spain

8 Apr 2020

Santander has the necessary infrastructure to supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker as a strategic port in northern Spain Santander 08/04/2020. The consortium formed by Puerto de Santander, Repsol LNG Holding, (RLH), ESK and Enagas will implement and improve LNG bunker sourcing infrastructures in a port area of the Global Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T Comprehensive Network) through a project lasting approximately four years and two months. This action is aided by Europe within the CEF-Transport programme, in particular in the Projects on the Comprehensive Network (CEF-T-2019-1-AP-TRANSPORT) / Maritime Ports. call for EUR 6,334,607 to be distributed among partners based on their activity. In the case of the Port of Santander, the amount received amounts to 2,977,140 euros. The objective is to meet the requirements necessary to overcome the barriers existing in the LNG bunker supply network, providing facilities for the supply of ships and ships in Santander as a strategic port in northern Spain. To do this, the action is based on the design and construction of an LNG bunker supply terminal in the Port of Santander (Spain). This facility will be aimed, as a matter of priority, for the bunkering of LNG to the new vessels that the company Brittany Ferries has under construction, and whose first ship, Galicia, is expected to start operating later this year. The new ferries are ready to be used as lNG fuel, although some of them equipped with dual engines, so they will be able to meet the strict sulphur oxide (SO2) emission conditions that came into force in 2020. The port of Santander must provide the required infrastructures, which are concreted in the construction of a new pier of Maliaño sections 1-4, with an alignment of 400 m, and a ro-ro ramp, essential complement for the traffic generated by Brittany Ferries. However, the dock and the installation of LNG storage and supply to ships are expected to serve in the future other ro-ro traffic that the Port of Santander maintains with ports in northern Europe. The action will be developed in collaboration with ESK as a transport company, which will design, manufacture and operate the tanker trucks that will supply the LNG to the bunker terminal from the nearest regasification terminal, and with Enagas, as an expert in LNG plant management in Spain.