OLT Offshore LNG Toscana has completed commissioning its new Small Scale LNG (SSLNG) service, becoming the first terminal in Italy to offer LNG loading to small-scale carriers.
The service was tested through bidirectional LNG transfer operations with the Avenir Aspiration, a small LNG carrier operated by Axpo.
The operations confirmed the terminal’s ability to load and unload LNG from smaller vessels via the FSRU Toscana offshore platform.
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The new SSLNG capability enables small LNG carriers to load LNG at the OLT terminal and either refuel LNG-powered ships offshore or deliver fuel to coastal storage facilities across major Mediterranean ports.
The terminal will also be able to receive LNG from small carriers, regasify it, and inject it into the national grid.
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Giovanni Giorgi, CEO of OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, said: “With the conclusion of the Small Scale LNG commissioning, our terminal is ready to offer a service that concretely meets the needs of decarbonization of maritime and land transport.
“This project is a demonstration of how existing infrastructure can evolve to support the energy transition, encouraging the use of alternative fuels such as LNG and, in the future, also bio-GNL.”
