A Singaporean carrier vessel is refueled with liquefied natural gas, bunkering fuel oil, and material supply at an offshore anchorage in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, on Aug 24. [Photo/Zhoushan Daily]
At the Qushan temporary anchorage in Dinghai district, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, the bulk carrier vessel "Mount Cook" owned by the Singapore-based company Rio Tinto completed the bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and of bunkering fuel oil, as well as material supply provisioning on Aug 24.
During the 15-hour bunkering operation, the LNG bunkering vessel from Sinopec International LNG Bunkering Co Zhoushan Branch, provided "Mount Cook" with 2,200 metric tons of bonded LNG. This signifies the first trial operation of bonded LNG bunkering outside a port area in China, and also marks Zhoushan as the first domestic port with the capability of providing LNG bunkering services in offshore anchorages.
Wang Jianhua, general manager of the Zhoushan Branch, said that bunkering at offshore anchorages can greatly save tonnage taxes, pilotage fees, and berthing fees for ships. Taking the "Mount Cook" as an example, the daily charter rate for this vessel is approximately $80,000. With the opening of the service in Zhoushan, the vessel will no longer need to detour to other places for refueling, saving the shipowner at least one day of charter fees.
This was largely due to Zhoushan's efforts to develop clean energy in recent years, including drawing on the policies of the Zhejiang Free Trade Zone's comprehensive oil and gas industry chain and its advantages of rich anchorage resources, fostering new business in offshore LNG refueling, as well as laying a good foundation for infrastructure, supporting policies, safety supervision, and other guarantee systems.
Zhoushan will also promote the normalization of LNG refueling operations, diversify refueling vessel types, and accelerate the establishment of a Northeast Asia tax-free fuel supply center in a bid to transform the port onto a world-class level.
