Peninsula Completes First Sagunto LNG Bunkering with Supply to K Line Car Carrier

Summary

Marine fuel supplier Peninsula has carried out the first LNG bunkering operation at Spain’s Port of Sagunto, supplying the K Line-operated car carrier Thor Highway. The delivery by its bunker vessel Levante LNG expands alternative fuel availability across the Valencia port cluster, where Peninsula is licensed to supply LNG at three ports.

Article

Valencia: Peninsula has completed the first Sagunto LNG bunkering operation, delivering liquefied natural gas to the car carrier Thor Highway, the marine energy supplier announced on October 7. The operation took place on September 15 at the Port of Sagunto on Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast.

The fuel was supplied by Levante LNG, Peninsula’s dedicated LNG bunkering vessel, to the pure car and truck carrier operated by Japanese shipping company “K” Line.

Why is the Sagunto operation significant?

Peninsula described the delivery as a key step in developing alternative marine fuels in the region, saying it reflects the confidence large international shipowners have in its LNG bunkering services across the Mediterranean.

The company holds a licence to supply LNG as a marine fuel at the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía. With Sagunto now active, LNG availability across the Valencia port cluster has been strengthened, supporting a range of vessel types calling in the region.

What is the Levante LNG?

Levante LNG is a 12,500 cubic metre LNG bunkering vessel built by South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo. It is jointly owned by Peninsula and Scale Gas, a unit of Spanish gas system operator Enagás, with Peninsula chartering the vessel for an initial seven years. The ship loads LNG at Enagás-operated terminals in Spain.

The vessel arrived in the Mediterranean in late 2023 after Peninsula secured an LNG bunkering operator licence from the Government of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Port Authority. Its first deliveries included Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Silver Nova in November 2023 and the LNG-fuelled Suezmax tanker Starway, owned by Eastern Pacific Shipping, which received about 3,500 cubic metres of LNG.

What do we know about the Thor Highway?

The Thor Highway is an LNG dual-fuel car carrier owned by SFL Corporation and built by Guangzhou Shipbuilding International. Delivered on March 28, 2024, it is the last of four 7,000 CEU car carriers SFL ordered in 2021 and is on a ten-year charter to K Line.

The 200-metre vessel uses a MAN ME-GI two-stroke main engine and carries two LNG storage tanks supplied by MAN Cryo.

The Sagunto delivery is not the first time Peninsula has fuelled the ship. In July 2024, Levante LNG bunkered Thor Highway in Gibraltar, in a deal facilitated by Peninsula’s Tokyo office. At the time, Peninsula’s head of sustainability and alternative fuels, Nacho de Miguel, said, “The LNG-powered vessel order book is looking very healthy over the coming years.”

What does it mean for the Mediterranean bunker market?

The Sagunto delivery adds another supply point on Spain’s Mediterranean coast as more LNG dual-fuel ships enter service, particularly in the car carrier, container and cruise segments. For shipowners running LNG-capable fleets on routes through the western Mediterranean, more ports offering LNG bunkering means greater flexibility in voyage planning and fewer deviations to refuel.

For suppliers such as Peninsula, extending operations from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Valencia cluster allows a single bunker vessel to serve a wider customer base. This improves asset utilisation for the costly specialised fleet needed to deliver LNG.

The milestone also adds to Spain’s growing role in LNG bunkering. Spanish ports including Algeciras have emerged as significant LNG bunkering hubs in Europe, supported by the country’s extensive network of LNG import terminals.

FAQs

When did the first LNG bunkering at the Port of Sagunto take place?

Peninsula carried out the operation on September 15, 2026, and announced it on October 7.

Which ship received the LNG?

The Thor Highway, a 7,000 CEU LNG dual-fuel car carrier owned by SFL Corporation and operated by K Line under a ten-year charter.

Which vessel delivered the fuel?

Levante LNG, a 12,500 cubic metre LNG bunkering vessel jointly owned by Peninsula and Enagás unit Scale Gas.

Where is Peninsula licensed to supply LNG in the Valencia region?

Peninsula holds licences to supply LNG as marine fuel at the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía.

Has Peninsula fuelled the Thor Highway before?

Yes. Levante LNG supplied LNG to the Thor Highway in Gibraltar in July 2024.