Gibraltar grants Peninsula LNG bunkering licence

Peninsula recently announced the arrival of its purpose-built, 12,500-m³ supply vessel Levante LNG to the Strait of Gibraltar. The company will operate the new vessel and help service customers with LNG requirements in both the Gibraltar Strait and other Mediterranean ports.

Levante LNG was ordered in 2021 at South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. The vessel was delivered in August, operating under a seven-year charter to Peninsula. The vessel arrived in Gibraltar in September.

The government of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Port Authority granted Peninsula the LNG bunkering operator’s licence, and Peninsula chief executive John A Bassadone called it "very welcome news".

“The proactivity of the Gibraltar Port Authority and the government of Gibraltar will continue to cement the jurisdiction’s position as a leading centre for maritime excellence,” he said.

"I want to thank John Ghio, Captain of the Port of Gibraltar, and The Hon Vijay Daryanani MP, for supporting our licence application and allowing us to continue our decarbonisation journey. The ability to operate our LNG vessel in the Strait of Gibraltar will bring lower-carbon solutions to vessels entering and leaving the Mediterranean.”

Peninsula has entered into a partnership with Scale Gas, a unit of Spain’s Enagas. 

Head of alternative fuels and sustainability Nacho de Miguel added, “This licence allows us to meet lower-carbon product demand across the western Mediterranean.”

“The LNG-propelled vessel orderbook is looking very healthy and we want to offer solutions now to those customers taking a proactive step towards decarbonisation. As the gateway to the Mediterranean, the Port of Gibraltar will be an integral piece of the decarbonisation puzzle.”