The Belgian division of ArcelorMittal— ArcelorMittal Belgium— has received the Oceana Frontier cargo ship at its berth in Ghent, which is considered the world's first vessel of this type powered by liquefied natural gas. For the steel company and the North Sea port, this was the first call of an LNG cargo ship.
The ship delivered iron ore from Canada to Ghent and arrived on September 15. After unloading, Oceana Frontier will return to Canada for a new batch of raw materials for ArcelorMittal Belgium.
The use of LNG reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 23%.
According to the North Sea Port, switching from traditional marine fuel to LNG can reduce CO2 emissions by about 23%, as well as significantly reduce emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides. In particular, on a voyage of about 2,700 nautical miles, savings can amount to about 500 tons of carbon dioxide per transit.
ArcelorMittal considers LNG as a temporary solution on the way to reducing emissions associated with the maritime delivery of raw materials. The company is also exploring the possibility of wider use of new energy-efficient vessels in its logistics in the future.
"With Oceana Frontier, we are taking a concrete step towards making the transportation of our raw materials more environmentally friendly," said Frederik Van de Velde, CEO of ArcelorMittal Belgium. According to him, this flight will allow the company to gain experience working with a new generation of dry cargo ships as part of a program to gradually decarbonize the supply chain.
Ghent accumulates experience for other ArcelorMittal sites
The arrival of Oceana Frontier will give ArcelorMittal Belgium the opportunity to practice receiving and unloading bulk carriers powered by LNG. The acquired knowledge can be used in other enterprises of the group.
Meanwhile, the North Sea Port is preparing the infrastructure for the use of alternative marine fuels. An independent risk assessment has shown that LNG, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia can be safely bunkered throughout the port, including Ghent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen. The port continues to develop pilot projects and infrastructure to support these fuels.
