Ultra-modern 5,800 cbm LNG bunker vessel Coralius named in ceremony

Coralius, the first European built LNG bunker and distribution vessel was named Monday 22 May by Johanna Lamminen, Chair of the Board of Skangas and Chief Executive Officer of Gasum. The vessel was commissioned by owners Anthony Veder and Sirius Shipping in 2015 and was built by Royal Bodewes. This new vessel will offer LNG bunkering services for Skangas, a subsidiary of Gasum, mainly operating in the North Sea, the Skagerak area and the Baltic Sea. This way Skangas will serve customers’ better in all harbours in Nordic countries.

The 1A Ice Classed Coralius is designed to safely discharge large quantities of LNG to its receiving vessel in a short period of time. The vessel is equipped with state-of the-art LNG transfer equipment and the flat working deck is especially engineered for safe side-by-side operations. Special winches have also been installed to enable safe and swift mooring operations.

“Bunkering LNG ship-to-ship increases the accessibility of this marine fuel for our customers”, says Kimmo Rahkamo, Chief Executive Officer of Skangas. “It is a very valuable add-on to our existing bunkering methods of truck and terminals along the coast. Thanks to Coralius, from July onwards, our customers are going to experience swifter and more flexible bunkering operations than ever before.”

Jan Valkier, Chief Executive Officer of Anthony Veder said: “We have a long track record in small to mid-size LNG shipping. Last year we conducted the first safe bunkering operation in the Gothenburg area for Skangas with Coral Energy, another of our LNG carriers. The Coralius is our first LNG bunker vessel developed in co-operation with Sirius Shipping and we are very proud to serve the market in a safe and efficient way with the delivery of this dedicated LNG bunker vessel.”

Jonas Backman, Chief Executive Officer of Sirius Shipping said: “I am very happy to see the development of this vessel become reality following our close co-operation with Skangas and Anthony Veder. This ship considerably strengthens our position in the local market and we are excited to bring our knowledge to this project.”

The Coralius is constructed according to the guidelines set by the Society for Gas and Marine Fuel (SGMF) whose aim is to harmonize safe and responsible operations of gas-fueled ships.

Compared to other marine fuels, LNG drastically cuts both sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, and is recognized by the shipping industry as the most viable alternative fuel for the reduction of emissions. With this new bunker feeder, LNG as a marine fuel will become far more accessible for the Scandinavian region.