A terminal operator’s view
Omschrijving
“A terminal operator’s view on LNG Market developments”, by Dirk van Slooten, Managing Director Vopak LNG
In September 2011, LNG became an operational business unit of Vopak. Together with joint venture partners, we have two terminals, Gate terminal (the Netherlands) and Altamira - TLA - (Mexico), with a combined storage capacity of 840,000 cubic meters and a total throughput capacity of 19.4 billion cubic meters per annum (bcma).
Gate terminal is ideally located for access into the Northwest European market. TLA is attractively located on Mexico´s east coast, making it easy to import LNG into the country and potentially serve the nearby islands in the future. Gate terminal has an annual throughput capacity of 12 bcma - one third of the total Dutch market - and TLA of 7.4 bcma. Both terminals are occupied and contracted with long-term contracts.
The introduction of the Emissions Control Area (ECA) requires all ships in the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Gulf of Mexico and off the US East Coast to use clean fuel with very low emissions, making LNG a preferred solution. In the Netherlands, the so called Green Deal initiative aims to promote the use of natural gas in both road transportation as well as using gas as a bunker fuel for coasters and barges.
Vopak´s strategy is to create hub terminals, such as Gate terminal and TLA, for the import, but also to redistribute LNG in smaller quantities to satellite terminals for distribution to local markets. This is what we call our break bulk model. In 2012, Vopak and gas infrastructure company Gasunie signed an agreement with Shell as launching customer for the LNG Break Bulk terminal we plan to build in Rotterdam. The terminal plans to facilitate small-scale LNG distribution in Northwest Europe and make LNG available for distribution to marine bunkering and truck fuelling stations."
Spreker(s)
Dirk van Slooten, Managing Director Vopak LNG
Locatie
Prinsessegracht 23, 2514 AP Den Haag
Organisator
Olie- en Gastechnologie
Naam en contactgegevens voor informatie
Herman van der Meyden