Naturgy and Enagás, through its subsidiary Scale Green Energy, have reached an agreement to promote the decarbonisation of maritime transport in the Iberian Peninsula through the construction and chartering of the latest generation vessel 'Mistral LNG' for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and BioLNG to all types of vessels.
The vessel will have a cargo capacity of 18,900 m³. Scale Green Energy, which started construction in early 2026, will operate the vessel, which will be chartered by Naturgy in 2028 under a long-term contract.
'Mistral LNG' will operate primarily in the Iberian Peninsula, further strengthening its position as a strategic hub in southern Europe for the bunkering or supply of sustainable fuels, as well as in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Islands, among other destinations in the Atlantic.
The ship will have a length of 138.8 metres, a dual-fuel engine, a service speed of 13 knots and a range of more than 4,500 nautical miles. The vessel, designed to supply LNG and bio-LNG fuel, will be equipped with advanced technology to minimise emissions and optimise efficiency.
With this initiative, Naturgy positions itself as a strategic operator in the Iberian LNG and bioLNG bunkering market, whose growth is expected to be exponential in the coming years, and advances in its commitment to promote the energy transition by offering competitive solutions to its customers. The company has extensive knowledge of the energy supply sector and plays a key role in supplying Spain as the main importer of natural gas.
For its part, Enagás - through its subsidiary Scale Green Energy - is consolidating its position as a shipowner in LNG bunkering in southern Europe by adding this new vessel to its current fleet of three ships: Levante LNG, Alisios LNG and Haugesund Knutsen. This contributes to the European strategy to reduce emissions in maritime transport and generates a knock-on effect on LNG plants in Spain. Spain’s seven regasification plants are already adapted to supply LNG for bunkering, and those in Barcelona, Cartagena, Huelva and Gijón have already launched BioLNG supply services for ships and tanker trucks.
Growing demand for alternative fuels
This project will help meet the growing demand for alternative fuels in maritime transport and compliance with new European regulations requiring progressive emission reductions linked to marine fuels. In 2024, orders for LNG and bioLNG-powered vessels doubled compared to 2023 and, according to forecasts, demand for LNG bunkering in the Iberian Peninsula will continue to increase progressively in the coming years.
LNG and bioLNG are currently the best-positioned alternative fuels to lead the energy transition, as they will have a larger fleet in the coming years and more infrastructure to offer bunkering services. Compared to traditional fuels, LNG eliminates 100% of sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions, 80 and 90% of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 25% of CO2. The use of LNG as a maritime fuel in Spain could reduce CO2 emissions by around 2 million tonnes by 2030, which would be equivalent to the introduction of more than one million electric vehicles on the market.
The BioLNG service, which has no associated emissions, uses the interconnected infrastructure from the regasification plants, so that the biomethane injected into the gas grid is recognised as BioLNG - a liquid biofuel obtained by processing organic household and industrial waste.
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