News

• Singapore’s first LNG Bunkering vessel named in a virtual ceremony attended by Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs, Mr Chee Hong Tat
• FueLNG will also provide LNG bunkering from Singapore’s first dedicated LNG bunkering facility built by Keppel, with Shell supplying the LNG

 FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd, has named Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel (LBV), FueLNG Bellina. Scheduled to be operational by end-2020, the vessel will enable FueLNG to be the first to provide regular ship-to-ship LNG bunkering services within the Singapore port.

FueLNG will also provide LNG bunkering from Singapore’s first dedicated LNG bunkering facility which will be built by Keppel O&M on its Floating Living Lab (FLL), with Shell supplying the LNG to the facility when it becomes operational at the end of 2021.

Mr Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Foreign Affairs, graced the virtual naming ceremony of FueLNG Bellina held today. SMS Chee said, “This occasion marks an important milestone in Singapore’s journey to achieve the IMO 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target. It is our next step towards regular ship-to-ship LNG bunkering activities in Singapore. As we progress towards a low-carbon future, we will intensify our efforts to develop the Port of Singapore into a global LNG bunkering hub.”

Mr Chris Ong, Chairman of FueLNG and CEO of Keppel O&M, added, “Building Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel and having a dedicated bunkering facility demonstrate our commitment to global customers that LNG as a marine fuel will be readily available in Singapore. Leveraging the capabilities of Keppel O&M and Shell, FueLNG is able to offer customers a variety of cost-effective and convenient LNG bunkering options. These include ship-to-ship bunkering for larger vessels such as containerships or being able to bunker smaller vessels such as harbour crafts on demand, 24/7, at our dedicated bunkering facility at the FLL in Keppel O&M’s shipyard.”

Singapore’s First LNG Bunkering Vessel

The 7,500m³ LBV supports initiatives implemented by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to increase the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel, facilitating the growth of Singapore as a global LNG bunkering hub.

Designed and built by Keppel O&M, the vessel is on track to arrive in Singapore later this year from the Keppel Nantong Shipyard in China. When operational, the vessel’s first contracts will be to provide ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to the Shell-chartered tankers and for one of Hapag Lloyd’s container vessels.

Mr Jan Christensen, Senior Director Global Fuel Purchasing at Hapag Lloyd, said, “We are looking to reduce our carbon emissions and LNG propulsion in our ships is one of the key contributors. Singapore is a significant port of call and we are pleased that there will be the necessary infrastructure provided by FueLNG for us to bunker our LNG-powered vessels.”

Mr Tahir Faruqui, Director, FueLNG and Head of Downstream LNG, Shell, said, “Singapore is an important country for Shell and it will be a key region of the world for our Downstream LNG business. LNG will play a critical role in the journey towards zero emission fuels while zero and low-carbon fuels are being developed. It is the cleanest fuel currently available to the shipping sector in meaningful volumes. Collaboration is essential to reach milestones like this and I’d like to highlight and thank the MPA for supporting the growth of LNG as a marine fuel. I’m also grateful for the strong partnership between Shell and Keppel in leveraging our unique capabilities to achieve this. FueLNG Bellina complements Shell’s existing fleet of bunker vessels, enabling us to safely provide LNG to customers across the world.”

The FueLNG Bellina is the world’s first bunkering vessel with Smart Notation. Equipped with Keppel O&M’s proprietary VesselCare solutions, these smart functions enable remote monitoring and real-time support of vessel operations. (Please refer to Annex A for features of the vessel)

Singapore’s First Dedicated LNG Bunkering Facility

Keppel, Shell and FueLNG will further expand the LNG bunkering infrastructure in Singapore with the country’s first dedicated LNG bunkering facility. FueLNG will provide LNG bunker to receiving vessels such as harbour crafts and small vessels from the facility, which will have a capacity of 3,500m³. It complements the LBV’s bunkering services and will also be able to refuel the LBV.

FueLNG is committed to providing safe, cost-efficient and reliable solutions in LNG bunkering in Singapore. Since conducting Singapore’s first commercial LNG bunkering operation in 2017, FueLNG has safely completed more than 250 truck-to-ship bunkering operations, a strong testament to its operational expertise and high safety standards.

Photos credit: FueLNG

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Annex A

• Specifications and features of the FueLNG Bellina
  • Designed with a barge-like extended flat surface to provide bunker to a wide range of vessels
  • Highly maneuverable – two stern azimuth thrusters and one bow thruster enable a high degree of manoeuvrability. This includes even a crabbing manoeuvre during bunkering operations, minimising tug utilisation and in turn reduces fuel consumption and emissions
  • Filling rate range of 100-1000m³ of LNG per hour and is able to supply LNG to various types of vessels at heights ranging from 3m to 23m above water level
  • More efficient than conventional bunker vessels – harnesses boil-off gas as fuel for power generation and propulsion, thus reducing CO₂, particulate matter and NO_x emissions
  • First smart LNG bunkering vessel equipped with digital tools. The entire bunkering process is monitored and executed on a digital platform
• Singapore’s first dedicated bunkering facility will be located on Keppel O&M’s Floating Living Lab, a platform for LNG bunkering as well as to testbed and commercialise promising power and technology solutions for the marine sector.
• The maritime industry is increasingly adopting LNG as a marine fuel. According to SEA\LNG, the number of LNG-fuelled vessels in operation and on order increased from 163 and 155 in June 2019 to 175 and 203 respectively in February 2020.

About Keppel Offshore & Marine

Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) is a world leader in providing total solutions to the offshore, marine and energy industries. Bolstered by a global network of yards and offices, it has extensive know-how across a wide range of capabilities – design & engineering, new builds, conversions & repairs, and support services

A pioneer in offshore solutions, Keppel O&M has a strong track record in designing and building high-performance offshore drilling rigs, production platforms and specialised ships. It is a trusted partner in the conversion, repair and modification of diverse and complex rigs and vessels, and is also a developer of integrated solutions for the offshore renewable and infrastructure industries.

Backed by robust operational excellence, Keppel O&M innovates and leverages new technologies to deliver projects on time, on budget, safely, reliably, and to the highest quality. For more information, visit www.keppelom.com.

About Shell

Shell is an international energy company with expertise in the exploration, production, refining and marketing of oil and natural gas, and the manufacturing and marketing of chemicals. Shell’s purpose is to power progress together with more and cleaner energy solutions. We believe that rising standards of living for a growing global population are likely to continue to drive demand for energy, including oil and gas, for years to come. In 2019 Shell had operations in more than 70 countries and sold 74.5 million tonnes of LNG.

About FueLNG

FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd, is committed to providing safe, cost-efficient and reliable solutions in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering in Singapore. We are able to provide LNG bunkering to a wide variety of vessels through truck-to-ship or ship-to-ship bunkering.

Awarded the LNG bunker supplier license by the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority in 2016, FueLNG works with industry partners to build a world-class LNG bunkering network and encourage the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel.