Hapag-Lloyd, CNOOC mark first LNG SIMOPS at Hong Kong container terminal

CNOOC’s Hai Yang Shi You 301 refuelled Hapag-Lloyd’s LNG-fuelled container ship Hanoi Express at the container terminal in Hong Kong, marking the first SIMOPS LNG bunkering at the port.

The milestone, reported by CNOOC, took place at Kwai Tsing Container Terminal, and involved the ship-to-ship transfer of 4,300 tonnes of LNG to the 23,664-TEU container ship in about 8.5 hours. SIMOPS or simultaneous operations involves the bunkering and cargo loading/offloading of a vessel, shortening turnaround times in port.

Hai Yang Shi You 301 is one of the world’s largest LNG bunkering vessels, with a tank capacity of 30,000 m³, and is capable of transferring 1,650 m³ of LNG per hour.

South China Towing (SCT), which has six tugs operating in Hong Kong ranging in power from 4,000 to 6,000 hp, assisted in the operation. SCT general manager, Jacka Ho shared images of the milestone on social media.

Riviera has previous reported on the first known report of LNG SIMOPS and the first report of LNG SIMOPS in Asia.