Danish-based global bunker supplier and tanker specialist, Monjasa, chartered the UAE’s LNG bunker vessel (LBV), Green Zeebrugge (5,000 cubic metres), for operations in the UAE.
The company chartered the vessel in Amsterdam in November, and she is now enroute to UAE with estimated arrival in Dubai before the New Year.
Green Zeebrugge is expected to undergo safety and quality inspections by the local authorities before the New Year and supply Monjasa’s first ever LNG in January 2025.
The company’s decision to move into the LNG bunkering comes at a time where recent DNV data shows that there are now 1,262 LNG-fuelled vessels of which 613 are trading with a further 649 on order, compared to just 62 LNG-fuelled vessels in 2015.
The marine fuels supplier specialist sees an increasing alternative fuels demand and considers this as an important step in introducing LNG as a new marine fuel option in the UAE.
Anders Østergaard, Monjasa Group CEO, said: “Monjasa’s role is to keep challenging the status quo and providing new market opportunities to shipowners who are increasingly looking for ways to decarbonise their vessels.
“Looking ahead, continued close collaboration with our local maritime partners is crucial in further exploring new supply chains and positioning the UAE as a leading shipping hub in alternative fuels too.”
The bunker supplier Monjasa started its maritime operations in the Middle East in 2005 and became, as the company claims, the first marine fuels supplier to deliver biofuels in the UAE in 2022.
To establish a viable local LNG bunkering option, Monjasa said “port authorities, energy companies and shipowners are currently working together with the company to finalise the development of adequate LNG bunkering infrastructure.”
“Through this extended collaboration, Monjasa expects to offer a comprehensive fuel mix, including very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), marine gas oil (MGO), high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), biofuels and LNG at UAE ports going forward,” the company’s statement reads.
