The Huaihe Nengyuan Qihang is the world's first river-sea LNG bunkering vessel. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

The world's first river-sea liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel, the Huaihe Nengyuan Qihang, commenced operations at Shanghai's Yangshan Port on Aug 7 after loading 6,000 cubic meters of LNG fuel at the port's liquefied natural gas terminal.

Measuring 130 meters in length and 23.6 meters in width, the Huaihe Nengyuan Qihang was independently researched, developed, designed, and built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp based in Shanghai. With a spatial capacity of 14,000 cubic meters, this versatile vessel is capable of navigating both oceans and the Yangtze River, tailored specifically for providing comprehensive LNG bunkering and transportation services.

The introduction of this bunkering vessel is a major milestone for Yangshan Port, which first ventured into offering China's initial international voyage ship-to-ship bonded LNG fueling operations through the vessel Haiyang Weilai in 2022. With the port's enhanced capabilities to simultaneously supply LNG fuel to two vessels, Yangshan Port now ranks among the top three global ports for international voyage ship-to-ship bonded LNG fueling operations.