The tugboat company Rimorchiatori Riuniti Panfido (Calderan group) in joint cooperation with the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority (ports of Venice & Chioggia) officially presented in Ravenna, the final stage of construction of the first ever built Semi Ballastable Barge Transporter (SBBT) that is the most tangible outcome of the Poseidon MED II project, co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility Programme (CEF).

The innovative SBBT vessel with a load capacity of 4,000 m3 of LNG and 1,000 m3 of MDO (Marine Diesel Oil) will operate mainly in the North-Adriatic Sea, being the first vessel of this type in the Mediterranean region.

The new bunkering platform will operate in conjunction with a big tug that will find room directly inside the prow of the platform and will be incorporated in the keel thus creating a single unique marine system.

This system will boast of very high flexibility levels: in fact it will take LNG provisions from a coastal storage center and it will be able to fuel LNG vessels booth moored at the quay and offshore, by granting top safety standards.

The new platform together with the tug are under the final stage of construction in the Rosetti Marino shipyard in Ravenna and are part of the Poseidon Med II project co-financed by the European Commission DG Move under the Connecting Europe Facility Programme (CEF).

The platform named Cargo Unit will also be able to provide big cruise vessels with LNG bunker thanks to the two large LNG tankers that are able to carry under controlled temperature a total volume of 4.000 cube metres of LNG plus 1000 cube metres of diesel oil.

The SBBT (Semi Ballastable Barge Transporter) system was conceived through a collaboration between Rimorchiatori Riuniti Panfido of Venice and the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority.

The Cargo Uniti is 109 metres long and 26,7 metres wide, with a draft between 3.7 and 6 metres . The total cost of the project will reach 40 millions Euro, including the 9.5 million Euros of the EU financial aid.

“For the Company Panfido – Mr Davide Calderan, Rimorchiatori Riuniti Panfido’s CEO, stated – the commitment in the development of blue bunkering is not just a new business, but also a will for future sustainability”.

“Our shipyard – the CEO of Rosetti Marino, Mr. Oscar Guerra replayed- is facing a real innovation challenge and not by chance in a city, Ravenna, that boast a long and established tradition in the energy field” .

“We are moving forward – Stressed the President of the North Adriatic Sea port Authority – the energy transition of our port system with the creation of a north Adriatic bunkering system for LNG vessels”.

The Representatives of the European Commission, Mr. Jalali, Advisor to the European Coordinator for the Motorways of the Sea, and Ms. Chrysostomou, CINEA – PMEDII project officer, also participated to the event underlining that this represents one of the main results in the East Mediterranean Region for a CEF programme contributing to the EU sustainable development targets for the maritime transport sector by 2030.