Bunkering facilities

As of 2017 we have three dedicated LNG bunkering facilities in Hammerfest, Lødingen and Moskenes. The Hammerfest Facility is Europe’s largest dedicated LNG bunkering station with 1250 m3 storage and a pump capacity of 90 tons/hour. Lødingen capacity is 250m3 / 60 tons/hour and Moskenes is 150m3 and 60 tons/hour.
We provide LNG HSE training and certification to our regular customers at the bunkering locations. Barents NaturGass ensures that LNG is available at the bunkering facilities.
The bunkering facility consists of vacuum-insulated LNG storage tanks and powerful pumps. The LNG is transferred through underground insulated pipes and onto the vessel. The ships connect through a hose and a fast-dry breaking connector. This ensures a safe and fast connection without leaks as the connector is cooled.
On the hose, we always connect a “Break Away” solution, this is a connector with two dry breaking connectors valves in case of movement in the ship during bunkering. This solution allows Barents NaturGass to safely bunker ships in any weather conditions and eliminates risk by ship movement.

Operating procedures

The Norwegian Sea Authority (Sjøfartsdirektoratet) currently require that the hose purges with nitrogen before and after the bunkering. There is no need for this with Barents NaturGass fast-dry breaking connector. As this solution becomes more common we hope for a change in these procedures.

Supervision and maintenance

The driver or bunkering personnel will inspect the facility at every bunkering. Revision and maintenance is done when needed and according to Barents NaturGass maintenance plan. Normally 2-4 times a year.
After more than a decade of operating LNG facilities we can safely say that the facilities are very robust and reliable.

Permits and certifications

All of Barents NaturGass facilities and personnel are always registered and approved in accordance to governmental requirements in all of the markets we operate. In addition, Barents NaturGass personnel are trained in HSE and LNG operations that are industry-leading and exceed governmental requirements.