Poseidon Med continues towards a new era for LNG bunkering

The successful completion of the first phase of the Poseidon Med project was confirmed yesterday and, at the same time, the next stage – Phase II was launched at an event at the European Parliament in Brussels.

A ceremony held in the European Parliament on 17 February gathered to formally conclude the initial Poseidon Med project and initiate Poseidon Med II. The event brought together Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Member States’ Permanent representatives, delegates from the European Commission, industry participants, as well as the Poseidon Med project partners.

The focus of the event was to bridge the two phases of the project by highlighting the key outcomes of the first phase and presenting the way ahead regarding the use of LNG as marine fuel in the Eastern Mediterranean area.

The kick-off of Poseidon Med II was signified with the official launch of the new project logo, which reflects the continuation of a transition towards a greener marine fuel.

Members of the European Parliament underlined the importance of the potential for gas to fuel a cleaner, better connected future in the Mediterranean, driving maritime technology development and economic opportunities.

The foundation has been set now to drive the industry towards LNG fuelled ships entering into operation, supported by LNG bunkering infrastructure in the area, within the next 5 years.

The presentations & statements of the event will be shortly available on: www.poseidonmed.eu (section Events)

Notes to editors

POSEIDON MED is the first Cross European Border project which aims to introduce LNG as the main fuel for the shipping industry and develop a sufficient infrastructure network of bunkering value chain. It focuses in the eastern Mediterranean region with five Member States (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia) involved.

POSEIDON MED as a Global Project aims at stirring the shipping waters in Greece and has been received enthusiastically by the shipping community, the local society, as well as the political administration.

POSEIDON MED II is a key European project designing the legislative and market prerequisites for the use of LNG as a marine fuel in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Through targeted sustainable infrastructure planning it supports the development of a value-chain and supply network generating demand and contributing to international regulations for a more sustainable maritime sector.  

POSEIDON MED II, which is the continuation of POSEIDON MED and ARCHPELAGO LNG Projects, is co-financed by the “Connecting Europe Facilities” and will run for the next 5 years. It is a cross border project involving 26 partners from 3 Member Stated - Greece, Italy and Cyprus – with an ultimate target to make LNG available in 5 core ports; Piraeus, Patras, Heraklion, Igoumenitsa and Limassol.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.