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Liquefied natural gas (LNG) trials have been performed on Anthony Veder Chartering Company's newly built gas carrier Coral Star [pictured]. The ship is equipped with a dual-fuel engine, which allows the vessel to run on heavy fuel oil as well as the more environmentally friendly LNG.

Before Anthony Veder was able to deploy its latest vessel to its fleet of gas carriers, the ship’s fuel supply systems and the dual fuel engine needed to be thoroughly tested, both for fuel and for LNG.

The fuel tests were completed at a Chinese shipyard, however for the specific LNG tests Anthony Veder decided that the ship should be tested in Zeebrugge, due to the port's strong reputation and expertise in LNG.

The technical tests on the Coral Star were performed by Hoppe Maritime Group in Zeebrugge. The tanks were prepared at the terminal in order to receive LNG (cooling down and inerting).

The LNG fuel tanks were partially filled with LNG from a truck alongside the quay (truck-to-ship bunkering method). The engine’s power was tested with the aid of a 'load bank' - an installation that adds artificial ballast, to see whether or not the engine is able to produce enough power to keep the ship moving. The Coral Star is said to have completed all the tests successfully.

The Coral Stat's sister vessel, Coral Sticho, is on its way from China to Zeebrugge for the same assignment. The vessel is expected to arrive on 18 October.

"We are very pleased to be able to work with the port of Zeebrugge and Hoppe Maritime Group on this special project. After all, the Coral Star and Anthony Veder’s other new vessels are in fact the world’s first ethylene tankers driven on LNG." said Ferdinand Dekker, Manager Operations Anthony Veder Chartering B.V.

"These operations confirm the role of our terminal in these pioneering times for LNG bunkering. The availability of our installations, the available gas expertise and the generally appreciated flexibility cause gas shipping companies to choose Zeebrugge," said Stefaan Hoppe, General Manager at Hoppe Maritime Group.

The trials performed for Anthony Veder in Zeebrugge follow other LNG-related activies at the Belgian port. Previously, Zeebrugge was chosen as the location to perform LNG truck-to-ship bunkering operations for the world's first two LNG-driven tugboats. Also, Mitsubishi Corporation, GDF Suez and NYK Line ordered the world's first LNG bunkering vessel, which is due to operate at the port of Zeebrugge in 2016.