On March 17 & 18, the Barbados National Oil Company Limited (BNOCL), the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL) and the National Petroleum Corporation collaborated in successfully providing the bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Carnival Cruiselines - P&O Cruises’ second LNG-powered Excel-class cruise ship Arvia.

These National Energy Companies’ (NECs) main role encompasses providing the country with fossil fuel products such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil for electricity and production of asphalt and natural gas for cooking.  In addition, our commercial activities have expanded into the scope of several renewable energy solutions for domestic and commercial solar photovoltaic systems.  Now, we are venturing into the business of fueling or bunkering of ships, or at least hopefully the start of this new business line.

Reducing emissions and their impact on the environment is a critical aspect of Carnival Cruiselines - P&O Cruises’ sustainability strategy, and the company has therefore decided to utilize alternative fuels, such as LNG to achieve this aim.  Going forward sustainable renewable fuels are essential to meeting global environmental targets as outlined in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) GHG reduction strategy.

The  NECs - BNOCL, BNTCL and NPC pride ourselves in the integral roles we play in assisting Barbados and the world in meeting these challenging, but essential environmental targets while aiming to facilitate the important homeporting attributes of being able to provide fuels of choice and competitive pricing.

The NECs are extremely proud of the Team and their efforts that made this project a success.  The security of supply of energy products to Barbados is taken seriously by this group of companies.  Therefore, as is done with gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, solar energy and natural gas, the NECs sought to meet their customers’ requirements, even though LNG bunkering has taken them into a new energy space.