Piombino, 7 June 2024 – Now thecustoms clearance at sea“, already operational since 2014 at the Livorno Customs Agency for goods in containers and from 2021 for single-customer ships transporting bulk goods, is extended to ships transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) destined for the regasifier Golar Tundra moored at Piombino.
As well known, the Golar Tundra is one of the four plants of regasification existing in Italy, awaiting the arrival of the new regasification terminal Ravennawhich is expected to come into operation in 2025. The regasifier purchased by Snam on government mandate to differentiate energy supply and reduce dependence on imports of Russian gas, entered Piombino on 20 March 2023 and entered service in July. It is replenished at regular intervals by LNG carrierswhich transport the LNG at a temperature of – 160°. The LNG is then transferred to the tanks via unloading arms, to then be regasified. The regasification process is achieved by introducing the LNG into a heat exchanger into which a hotter liquid flows, normally sea water, whose natural temperature is sufficient to return the gas to its gaseous state. In total, the Piombino regasifier received 28 ships, for a total of approximately 2 billion cubic meters of gas injected into the national network.
For a few days, for a duration of 6 months, the experimentation of “customs clearance at sea” has begun, which will make it possible to streamline and speed up LNG traffic in the port area of Piombino. The procedure allows operators to anticipate the presentation of the manifest of arriving goods and the related customs declarations before the ship arrives in port, making use of the monitoring system of the Port Authority. In this way, imports destined for the regasification ship can be carried out without any time constraints, ensuring energy supply needs on a national scale and carrying out unloading operations in complete safety.
