The Swiss Axpo has signed a contractual agreement with the Italian Gas and Heat and San Giorgio del Porto for rental ten-year anniversary of a liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel which should enter into operation in 2025. The bettolina, with a capacity of up to 7,500 cubic meters, will be built in the Piombino shipyard of the Genoese San Giorgio del Porto and in future could also transport liquefied biomethane and ammonia, fuel which is expected to be increasingly used in the naval field for the reduction of carbon emissions.

The new ship, under the Italian flag, will be based in Naples where it will provide ship-to-ship bunkering services and ship-to-truck entrusted to the on-board systems made by Gas and Heat. The project is carried out in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and with the Port System Authority of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea.