Woodside Gets Oz Ship-to-Ship LNG Bunkering Licence

Australia’s Pilbara Port Authority (PPA) has granted a ship-to-ship LNG bunkering licence to Woodside, Perth-based LNG Marine Fuel Institute (LNG MFI) said on May 5 in a statement. 

LNG MFI CEO Margot Matthews said PPA and Woodside have executed non-exclusive licences to provide ship-to-ship LNG bunkering services at the ports of Port Hedland and Dampier, the first licences of their type issued in Australia.

“Since 2017 LNG MFI has worked to bring together key players to develop a cleaner marine fuel industry in Australia as we lower emissions for a better future and it’s exciting to see this now moving full steam ahead,” Matthews said.

PPA’s general manager for development & trade, Lyle Banks, said the Authority has issued three licences for LNG bunkering operations in the Pilbara. 

“In addition to Woodside’s ship-to-ship licences, a truck-to-ship LNG bunkering licence was issued to Evol LNG in early 2017,” Banks said. “Western Australia is well-placed to become an LNG bunkering hub, with LNG production facilities close to large iron ore mining operations and the many hundreds of ocean-going vessels that use ports in the Pilbara region.”

“Woodside is finalising plans for an LNG bunkering operation in the Pilbara to capture the significant environmental and economic benefits of using LNG, instead of fuel oil, for the busy iron ore shipping trade,” said Woodside executive vice president marketing for trading and shipping, Reinhardt Matisons. “We continue to work with potential customers on this opportunity.”