The Gate Terminal facility in Rotterham stores and evaporates natural gas before it is delivered to the transmission network. This year Gasunie and Royal Vopak, the terminals initiators, have recently announced that their joint venture has taken the final investment decision to add LNG break bulk infrastructure and services to the terminal. Construction is scheduled to start this year and commissioning of the first services are being scheduled for 2016.
As the services aim to split up large scale LNG shipments into smaller quantities, the terminal will be expanded with an additional harbour basin to enable the break bulk LNG distribution. This small scale use allows LNG to be used as a fuel for maritime vessels, ferries, trucks and industrial applications helping to meet the new SECA emission regulations for the North Sea and Baltic Sea from 2015.
Due to the emission reductions provided by LNG fuel, the Dutch government and European Union encourage the developments taking place at Gate Terminal (using LNG as a fuel, reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 85% while reducing Sulphur and particle emissions to almost zero).
This partnership between the government and business aims to promote green growth and with its extended break bulk facilities, Gate Terminal will be the basis of cleaner road transport, inland waterways and coastal shipping throughout Northern Europe. The terminals new infrastructure is said to represent an important step in achieving the goals set by the ‘Green Deal Rhine and Wadden’ due to its role in distributing a low emission fuel alternative to transporters all over Europe.
As launching customer, Shell will play a key role in enabling the project by creating the conditions needed for the use of LNG as a transportation fuel. From Gate in Rotterdam, Shell is able to supply LNG to bunker stations all across Northern Europe developing the terminals place in the European markets ultimately helping in the support of break bulk market developments.