TUI Cruises ’Mein Schiff Relax’ has become the first vessel to be bunkered with bio-LNG by barge at Barcelona.
The ship-to-ship (STS) operation, which took place on 26th July, involved the 5,000 cu m capacity LNG bunker vessel ’Haugesund Knutsen’ supplying the cruise ship with 1,875 cu m of bio-LNG from Enagas’ regasification plant located at the port.
This was the second bio-LNG supply operation carried out at Barcelona, as last March, ferry operator, Baleària loaded bio-LNG onto one of its ropaxes in a truck-to-ship operation.
Supply from a barge significantly speeds up the loading operation, increasing the amount of fuel loaded by more than 15 times, thereby facilitating the adoption of emission-neutral fuels in the maritime sector and enabling the de-carbonisation of this activity, the Port of Barcelona said in a statement.
Built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone, the ’Mein Schiff Relax’ is TUI Cruises first InTUItion class vessel.
A second vessel, ‘Mein Schiff Flow’ was floated out at Monfalcone to be fitted out ready to join the fleet next year.
