North Sea Port confirms readiness for alternative fuel bunkering
An independent study has found that North Sea Port meets the safety and infrastructure requirements to bunker LNG, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen at its ports in Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Ghent.
IMAGE: Aerial view of Port of Ghent. North Sea Port
North Sea Port is a cross-border port spanning Vlissingen and Terneuzen in the Netherlands and the Port of Ghent in Belgium.
The first phase of the study tested policy frameworks and validated safety and infrastructure requirements to confirm readiness for pilot bunkering operations across all three ports, the port authority said.
As part of the assessment, an independent risk analysis commissioned by the port authority examined nautical risks as well as nearby infrastructure, including roads, wind turbines, power lines and hazardous sites regulated under the EU’s Seveso III Directive — legislation aimed at preventing and controlling accidents involving hazardous substances.
Nautical risks refer to operational, environmental and security threats caused by machinery failure, collisions, fire, explosions and grounding.
The study found that physical deliveries using both tankers and trucks can be carried out safely for both seagoing and inland vessels across the port area, Cas König, chief executive of North Sea Port, said.
The port authority will now carry out controlled bunkering pilots to prepare for large scale bunkering of LNG, ammonia, methanol and hydrogen across the three ports.
By Konica Bhatt
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