LNG Gets a Permanent Berth in Genoa

Genoa completes its second LNG ferry bunkering, formalizes weekly ops, and plans cold ironing trials for summer 2026

25 Mar 2026

The Port of Genoa is no longer testing the waters. When the ferry GNV Aurora completed its first LNG bunkering there in March 2026, carried out by energy partner Axpo via ship-to-ship transfer, it marked the second such operation at the port. The first involved sister vessel GNV Virgo last December. What was once a headline event has quietly become a weekly routine.

GNV Aurora is the second LNG dual-fuel ro-pax ferry in GNV's fleet, cutting CO2 emissions by up to 50 percent per cargo unit compared to older vessels. It also supports cold ironing, which connects a docked ship to the port's electricity grid and shuts down onboard engines entirely, eliminating quayside pollution. Weekly bunkering runs have been running day and night at multiple berths since December 2025, keeping the vessel on schedule along the Genoa-Palermo route.

Port officials are now formalizing the program. Dedicated regulations for LNG and bio-LNG bunkering are being drafted across port facilities, drawing on months of live operational data. Cold ironing trials with a GNV ferry are planned for summer 2026. A green hydrogen production pilot is also in development at the nearby port of Savona, pointing toward a multi-technology clean energy ecosystem across the Western Ligurian port system.

GNV has eight new LNG-powered ferries scheduled for delivery between 2025 and 2030, with the next vessel due in early 2028. The company acknowledges that bio-LNG supply remains limited and fuel price volatility is a near-term challenge. Its position within the MSC Group provides the commercial footing to sustain that long-term commitment.

The broader market signals are hard to ignore. The global LNG bunkering market is projected to grow from $2 billion in 2026 to $5.5 billion by 2032, and more than a quarter of ships currently on order worldwide are designed for alternative or dual fuels. With real operations underway, regulations taking shape, and cold ironing on the horizon, Genoa is building the infrastructure that will define clean Mediterranean shipping for years to come.