Axpo and Vitol have completed the first LNG supply operation at the Italian port of Civitavecchia, where they have supplied a flagship vessel of one of the major international cruise companies.
The operation means the incorporation of Civitavecchia, Italy’s main cruise port and the second largest in Europe, into the Italian locations that have LNG supply services. The company had already initiated this type of operation in Genoa and Naples.
The supply was carried out on Sunday morning at berth 18 of Civitavecchia using the Green Pearl, a bunkering vessel with a capacity of 7,500 cubic meters operated by Axpo. The unit carried out the refueling through a ship-to-ship operation.
The Green Pearl entered service in 2026 and is intended to perform ship-to-ship and ship-to-truck bunkering operations at Italian ports. Its participation in Civitavecchia allows extending Axpo’s services already provided at other ports in the country to this location.
The arrival of LNG supply to Civitavecchia comes after the start of ship-to-ship operations in Genoa at the end of 2025 and in Naples in May of this year. Civitavecchia is also the main maritime port of access to Rome.
The CEO of Axpo Italia, Simone Demarchi, noted that this operation demonstrates the company’s supply chain capability to grow and meet the needs of major international cruise lines.
“Over the next few years, the maritime and cruise sectors will need to accelerate their decarbonization process. Currently, LNG is one of the most important and available solutions to contribute to this transition,” Demarchi stated.
For his part, the head of Small Scale LNG & LNG Bunkering at Vitol, Stefan Dubbeldam, pointed out that LNG and bio-LNG play a role in reducing emissions related to the fuel supply to ships.
Dubbeldam explained that Vitol maintains investments throughout the value chain, from the production and procurement of bio-LNG and LNG to solutions tailored for its clients through its fleet of LNG bunkering vessels.
The extension of Axpo’s coverage to Civitavecchia is part of the company’s activity to develop a specific low-emission fuel supply chain aimed at the maritime and heavy transport sectors.
In addition to the Green Pearl, Axpo has chartered the Alisios LNG, a new bunkering vessel with a capacity of 12,500 cubic meters intended for the supply of low-emission fuels. This unit started operations in Spain last March.
With the launch of the service at Civitavecchia, Axpo adds this port to Genoa and Naples within its LNG supply coverage in Italy, while continuing to operate the Green Pearl for bunkering services at Italian ports.