OREANDA-NEWS. The shipping company Aktien-Gesellschaft EMS (AG EMS) and Bomin Linde LNG have signed the first contract for the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Germany. It proposes supplying environmentally friendly LNG as fuel to the MS Ostfriesland passenger ferry operated by AG EMS starting in mid-2014 after her retrofit.

As AG EMS Managing Director Dr Bernhard Brons explains, “With Bomin Linde LNG we are happy to be bringing a leading supplier of liquefied natural gas on board. This makes us the first users of LNG for German passenger ferry services.”

“This is an important step towards using LNG as a marine fuel in Germany. I’m glad that AG EMS and Bomin Linde LNG are on this path together”, says Mahinde Abeynaike, Bomin Linde LNG Managing Director. Ruben Benders, also Managing Director of Bomin Linde LNG, adds, “Supplying their ferries with LNG makes AG EMS a pioneer in Germany and sends a clear signal that this low-emission propulsion system has arrived here, too.”

The bunkering process is certified by the classification society and the flag state. “The technical process is comparable to bunkering operations for traditional fuels.  However, since the liquefied natural gas is cooled down to approximately -163 °C, appropriate personnel training is required”, explains Claus Hirsch, AG EMS technical inspector.

“A significant factor for cooperating with Bomin Linde LNG as a supplier is the construction of two LNG bunker terminals in the ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven commencing operations in 2015. This coincides well with our projects for Emden and Cuxhaven. Deliveries to the port of Emden will initially come from abroad and at a later stage from a facility in a German port”, explains Dr Bernhard Brons.

Bomin Linde LNG is currently completing the final preparations in planning the construction of the LNG bunker terminals in Hamburg and Bremerhaven. A reliable LNG supply to neighboring ports can be ensured via these strategically important hubs. "We are fully on track with the projects and will be able to provide ships in all German ports along the North and Baltic Sea with LNG as a clean fuel", says Mahinde Abeynaike.