At the vanguard of offering LNG as a bunker fuel, the Port of Gothenburg is to offer reductions in port tariffs for LNG-fuelled vessels in a bid to encourage owners to adopt the fuel.

The discount, to come into effect in 2015 - coinciding with the introduction of the North-European sulphur ECA – will amount to 30%, and will continue until 2018. The discount will be measured using the both the Environmental Ship Index and the Clean Shipping Index.

The Port has also assured a further discount to ships which switch to LNG from HFO.

"It has been our firm belief for a long time that LNG is the fuel of the future, said Magnus Kårestedt, at the Port of Gothenburg chief executive. “This initiative is entirely in line with our ambition to reduce the environmental impact of shipping and create a sustainable Scandinavian freight hub."

In addition the move will act as a springboard for the Port’s own LNG Bunkering terminal, currently under construction as part of a joint venture with the Port of Rotterdam.

Initiatives such as this will be key for the boosting of LNG adoption throughout the industry, according to Carl Carlsson of the Swedish Shipowners' Association. "It's not technology that is the limiting factor, it's the financial considerations. Working within the framework of the Zero Vision Tool project, we will attempt to convince other ports in the Baltic to offer the same type of support."