The Qatar Petroleum International Company announced the creation of a refuelling station for liquefied Natural gas (LNG) at the Greek Port of Piraeus, close to this capital.

The fuel has a very limited use so far in the merchant marine at the world level as it is currently used only by small boats and some passenger vessels but with great potential because of its minor cost compared to Diesel and the significant reduction of greenhouse gases.

In the case of Greece, there are still no ships using that technology but a few months ago the Greek Minister of Marine, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, assured that by 2014 a passengers vessel propelled by LNG would be in the Greek fleet.

The largest Hellenic companies of this sector are also beginning to look towards this fuel, with the European Union funding up to 50 percent of the cost of the conversion of diesel motors to LNG.

The interest of the Qatari fuel company, the world's largest LNG producer, resides its ability to sell to multiple markets, starting with the merchant marine, and aiming at freighters and tankers in the near future.