The initiative to build this vessel was part of the European project, coordinated by Enagás, LNGhive2, led by Puertos del Estado through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. As an essential complement to the ship project, it was necessary to adapt the jetty dedicated to small-scale supply (Small-Scale) at the Enagás Regasification Plant in Barcelona, an action included in the Spanish Government's +SE Plan (Plan Más Seguridad Energética). After completing its construction and sea trials, the Spanish-flagged vessel was presented in the port of Barcelona in February 2023. Prior to the event, Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of Enagás, and Lluís Salvadó, Chairman of the Port Authority of the Port of Barcelona, signed the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for the joint promotion of hydrogen projects in the area.

The aforementioned MoU aims to develop the first green hydrogen corridor in the European Union through the H2MED operation, an acronym that identifies the future pipeline that will connect Portugal, Spain and France with other European countries to supply green hydrogen to the European Union. The effective start-up (January 2023) of the H2MED pipeline project will enable the Port of Barcelona to be connected to the Spanish Hydrogen Backbone Network, which will continue to strengthen the role of the Port of Barcelona as a key energy hub in Europe. A process that aims to achieve the objectives of decarbonisation, always in line with the European Directive 94/2014 on alternative fuels. The specialised vessel ‘Haugesund Knutsen’ is one more link in this chain and confirms the strategic line of the shipowner Knutsen, which began 15 years ago with the ‘Pioneer Knutsen’, to commit to the use of LNG as a tool to promote the use of natural gas as a marine fuel and thus improve the environment in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

Gas protagonism in Barcelona
Before briefly describing the vessel ‘Haugesund Knutsen’ it is interesting to recall that the city of Barcelona was a pioneer in Spain in the field of liquefied natural gas. In the early 1960s the company Catalana de Gas y Electricidad was led by the visionary Pere Duran Farell, who was determined to change Spain from the butane cylinder and the so-called Gas Ciudad to clean fossil methane. The proposal was to import cryogenic methane in liquid form by tanker from the Maghreb fields. In 1964, Algeria began exporting LNG to France and the UK from its large capacity liquefaction plant (Shell) at Arzew. But it was in 1969 that the plant stepped up production, exporting LNG also to Spain, Italy and Japan (Cook Bay). The first historical LNG carrier, the ‘Laietà’ (ASTANO Ferrol 1969 - India 2008) docked in the port of Barcelona in 1969 and started the adaptation of the networks and installations from dirty city gas to the new methane. It was a complex and painful process for Barcelona, in which deadly explosions were recorded. Methane technology is fully mastered and this mastery is reflected in the ‘Haugesund Knutsen’, designed to refuel at the Enagás plant in Barcelona and subsequently supply LNG to ships in the port itself and also in adjacent areas, offering its services to other customers in the Mediterranean region. The role of the new vessel is key to the security of supply of this fuel at all times. The tanker's first and closest customers are likely to be the large LNG-powered cruise ships that use the terminals of the port of Barcelona and operate as turnaround vessels in the Mediterranean during the spring-summer season. 

The vessel complies with all the safety measures established by EU and international regulations. It has an on-board storage capacity of 5,000 m3, by means of two bi-lobe tanks of 2,500 m3 capacity each, with an LNG supply flow of 1,000 m3/hour. The vessel is 92.75 metres long, 16.90 metres wide and has a draught of 4.25 metres. In line with the promotion of the use of LNG, the seven regasification plants currently active in Spain are adapted to supply methane gas to ships in most ports of general interest. In 2022, a total of 13 ports in Spain supplied this fuel to ships, using different transfer modalities.

Machinery and propulsion
The design of Knutsen's new barge-like vessel is not for marine aesthetics but for the efficiency of a highly technological machine that will do most of its work in the calm waters of the harbour basins. As propulsion it uses a Gas/Diesel-electric system composed of two main gas engines Siemens Engines, type SGE-56 SL, and a diesel engine Siemens SLE-36 ST as backup; each of them with electric starter and 847 kW of power at 1,500 rpm. It uses a Siemens OL 612C 182 kW 1,500 rpm emergency generator with a Stamford model S4L 1M-C4 210 kVa alternator. The Marelli Motori supply consisted of: 

The propellers are two azimuthal propellers supplied by Wiresa, consisting of two Schottel SRP 240 L FP units, plus a Schottel STT 2 FP fixed pitch bow thruster with a 4-blade B400J engine. The supplier Ardora S.A. (Vigo) has supplied, through Sandfirden Technics Group, the 210 kVA/168 kWe port unit, consisting of an Agco Power engine, model 74 CTAG of 182 kW at 1500 r.p.m. and Stamford SAL1M-C4 alternator. Insyte Instalaciones was in charge of the electrical installation. It consists of a 400Vac 50Hz three-phase network, a 230Vac 50Hz three-phase network and a third 24Vdc network. The ship is equipped with four generators. Two gas generators, with an output of 1020KVA, a diesel generator of 1020KVA and a fourth emergency generator of 210KVA. In addition to these generators, the plant has an external 250A socket, which can power the vessel when in port. The gas carrier's electrical plant adds a 400V AC switchboard, powered by the gas and diesel generators.