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The first LNG bunker vessel to be built in Europe has been christened Coralius in a ceremony held on May 22.

The vessel was commissioned by owners Anthony Veder and Sirius Shipping in 2015 and was built by Dutch firm Royal Bodewes. It is scheduled to perform LNG bunkering services for Skangas - a subsidiary of Gasum - in the North Sea, the Skagerak area and the Baltic Sea.

The 1A Ice-classed Coralius is designed to safely and quickly discharge large quantities of LNG to its receiving vessel. It is equipped with state-of the-art LNG transfer equipment and the flat working deck is especially engineered for safe side-by-side operations. Special winches have also been installed to enable safe and swift mooring operations.

"Bunkering LNG ship-to-ship increases the accessibility of this marine fuel for our customers," commented Kimmo Rahkamo, chief executive officer of Skangas. "It is a very valuable add-on to our existing bunkering methods of truck and terminals along the coast. Thanks to Coralius, from July onwards, our customers are going to experience swifter and more flexible bunkering operations than ever before."

Jan Valkier, chief executive officer at Anthony Veder, said: "We have a long track record in small to mid-size LNG shipping. Last year we conducted the first safe bunkering operation in the Gothenburg area for Skangas with Coral Energy, another of our LNG carriers. The Coralius is our first LNG bunker vessel developed in co-operation with Sirius Shipping and we are very proud to serve the market in a safe and efficient way with the delivery of this dedicated LNG bunker vessel."

Jonas Backman, chief executive officer of Sirius Shipping, remarked: "I am very happy to see the development of this vessel become reality following our close co-operation with Skangas and Anthony Veder. This ship considerably strengthens our position in the local market and we are excited to bring our knowledge to this project."

The Coralius is said to have been built according to the guidelines set by the Society for Gas and Marine Fuel (SGMF), whose aim is to harmonize safe and responsible operations of gas-fuelled ships.

The main characteristics Coralius have been provided below.

Length overall: 99.60 metres
Beam: 17.95 metres
Draft: 5.8 metres
LNG capacity: 5,800 cubic metres
Service speed: 13.5 knots