Image credit: Nauticor

---

Furetank's newbuild chemical tanker, the Fure Vinga, was bunkered in Europe for the first time on May 19.

The delivery at the Mediterranean port of Cartagena was performed by Germany's Nauticor and Madrid-headquartered Gas Natural Fenosa, who teamed up to supply 120 tonnes of the fuel in a truck-to-ship operation involving six tank trailers.

Commenting on the delivery, Lars Hoglund, CEO of Furetank, remarked: "We are glad that the first LNG bunker operation for Fure Vinga in Europe has been completed smoothly, thanks to the cooperation of all parties involved in the bunker operation, including the ship's crew and port authorities, as well as the profound preparation by Gas Natural Fenosa and Nauticor."

"Combining our LNG expertise has made this bunkering a complete success, evidencing to the customer that the availability of LNG as a bunker fuel is improving by the day," Mahinde Abeynaike, CEO of Nauticor, observed.

"With this type of cooperation it is evident that the use of LNG as a marine fuel is an economic, real and available solution for shipping companies, guaranteeing supply in ports of different areas," Joaquin Mendiluce, General Manager of Gas Natural Comercializadora, said.

Sweden-flagged Fure Vinga is the first in a series of six newbuild chemical tankers owned and operated by Furetank. The vessel is the second LNG-fuelled ship in the company's fleet after the retrofitted chemical tanker Fure West, which has been running on LNG since 2015.

Bunker Index previously reported that the Iberian Peninsula's largest single LNG bunker delivery to date was recently performed at Cartagena when the Mia Desgagnes was supplied with 10 truckloads of LNG - amounting to 425 cubic metres - at Enagas's regasification plant.

Back in February, meanwhile, Nauticor carried out Germany's biggest every LNG bunker delivery when it supplied DEME Group's 116-metre-long hopper dredger, Scheldt River, with 85 metric tonnes.