By
Laura Hyde |
Spanish energy company Repsol has supplied 60 tonnes of bio-LNG to Brittany Ferries for use in its LNG-fuelled vessels, Salamanca and Santoña, in the first supply of its kind in Spain.
The supply took place at the LNG-bunkering terminal in Santander, Spain, after the fuel was produced at the first bio-LNG facility in Spain located in As Somozas in the northern Spanish region of Galicia. The fuel is made from waste from the agri-food industry, agriculture, and households, as well as sewage plant sludge.
“This test is the next significant step on Brittany Ferries journey to a more sustainable future,” said Bertrand Crispils, head of energy transition at Brittany Ferries. “The first three truckloads of bio-LNG are the starting gun for Brittany Ferries to progressively substitute fossil fuels with greener alternatives. Combining the use of biofuels with other measures, such as electrification and efficient hydrodynamics, means we can fully mobilise in the battle to cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
Brittany Ferries’ Salamanca undertakes bio-LNG bunkering in Santander, Spain
Brittany Ferries’ Salamanca and Santoña will use the fuel on routes linking Portsmouth, UK, to Santander and Bilbao in northern Spain and Cherbourg in western France, as well as from Rosslare in Ireland to Bilbao and Cherbourg. The ferries have not required any changes to their engines in order to use the fuel, as bio-LNG has the same chemical composition as conventional LNG.
“With these first supplies of bio-LNG, we provide another option for the maritime sector to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from its activities,” said Carlos Martin Iglesias, LNG bunker trader at Repsol. “This trial is another proof of the commitment of Repsol to the energy transition and to supplying different energy alternatives to help its customers advance in their decarbonisation processes.”