The port of Rotterdam expects LNG bunkering infrastructure to be in place and operational by 2015, said its director of oil storage, refinery and shipping Roland E Van Assche at a meeting with journalists Wednesday in Rotterdam.

With developments for the LNG terminal already in place and gas pipelines from Germany to Rotterdam’s port, LNG bunkering could be operational by 2015, with supply operations possible, he added.

The port already has the Gate terminal which provides E.ON Ruhrgas with some 3 billion cubic meters of annual LNG regasification capacity.

E.ON Ruhrgas also holds a 5% stake in the terminal operating company and the Gate terminal is a joint venture of two Dutch companies, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and Royal Vopak.

The Gate terminal started operations in 2011.

In addition, the port also already has gas pipelines connecting the port to supplies in Germany, and this is another factor that places the port in a good position for LNG bunker supply, said Van Assche.

LNG BUNKER BARGE

As it is, they are looking to have one LNG bunker barge operating in port by next year, and there are around three companies who have expressed interest in operating that barge, including Shell, said Van Assche.

They are also looking into incentives like LNG credits and green awards to encourage the start-up of the business, he added.

In April, the port signed an agreement with four other European ports to encourage the use of LNG as a bunker fuel.

The port signed a joint venture accord with the ports of Antwerp, Belgium; Mannheim, Germany; Strasbourg, France; and Basel, Switzerland.

“This involves cooperation in research, promotion, knowledge transfer, legislation and bunker infrastructure,” the port of Rotterdam said in a statement at the time.

The agreement follows the publication of an “LNG Masterplan” for the Rhine-Main-Danube corridor.

The aim of the plan is to encourage greater use of LNG as a fuel for inland shipping on the Rhine-Main-Danube corridor.

The port said the EU has provided a subsidy of Eur40 million ($55 million) to support LNG infrastructure for the Rhine-Main-Danube area.