On 15 September, the Oceana Frontier, the world's first LNG-powered bulk carrier, moored at the ArcelorMittal Belgium quay in Ghent. The vessel transports iron ore from Canada to Ghent and marks a first both for ArcelorMittal Belgium and for North Sea Port.
Its arrival represents a new step forward in making maritime raw material transport more sustainable and underlines the ambition of both partners to future-proof the logistics chain.
A first step towards a more sustainable fleet
Within the global fleet transporting raw materials for ArcelorMittal, five vessels are currently capable of using LNG as fuel. The Oceana Frontier is one of them. By using LNG instead of conventional marine fuels, CO₂ emissions can be reduced by approximately 23%, in addition to significantly lowering sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. On a route of around 2,700 nautical miles, this translates into an estimated reduction of approximately 500 tonnes of CO₂ per voyage. After unloading its cargo in Ghent, the vessel returns to Canada to load a new shipment of iron ore for ArcelorMittal Belgium. (....)