PETRONAS stated that its subsidiary PETRONAS Marine brand did its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation in Sabah through MV Avenir Advantage, which is its LNG Bunker Vessel (LBV).

According to the statement, the LNG bunkering operation was carried out 12 nautical miles from Sandakan Port for HL Green, which is the largest 180,000 ton liquefied natural gas vessel in the world

In this regard, Head of PETRONAS Marine Emry Mohd Tamrin commented “Along with our previous operations at Port Klang in Selangor and Sungai Udang Port in Melaka, this latest effort signifies a major step towards developing Malaysia as an LNG bunkering hub. It also further solidifies PETRONAS Marine’s presence as a one-stop marine solutions partner providing cost-competitive cleaner fuels and reliable services to meet the energy demands of its customers sustainably.”

He elaborated that this came as part of the company’s efforts to maximize the use of LNG as a cleaner source of energy as well as to support the efforts of the International Maritime Organization in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping activities.

It should be noted that the Sandakan Port is strategically positioned at the international maritime trade route between Australia and Asia’s leading manufacturing hubs, such as Japan, South Korea and China. It is an ideal location for PETRONAS to provide LNG bunkering for the vessels passing through this area.