LNG

US shipping logistics and bunkering companies Seaside LNG and Polaris New Energy gathered with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding executives to christen the recently constructed LNG bunkering barge “Clean Everglades” to be deployed along the US Gulf Coast.

TGE Marine Gas Engineering GmbH, the leading provider of liquefied gas systems for cargo-handling and tanks, has won a contract for a 12,000 cubic metres capacity LNG bunkering barge.

The cargo was awarded by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding located in Surgeon Bay in the US state of Wisconsin.

The work will be carried out on behalf of US-based shipping company Crowley Maritime, based in Jacksonville, Florida, and after delivery the vessel will operate under a long-term charter with Shell North America LNG.

Scope of the contract includes the design and supply of the cargo-handling system, including two 6,000 cubic metres capacity bilobe Type-C tanks designed to transport LNG.

“The cargo-handling system will enable the barge to load LNG from a supply terminal and transfer the LNG to the clients´ vessels using a ship-to-ship transfer system,” explained TGE.

“During transit the cargo can be kept in its liquid state at ambient pressure through the use of a chiller unit,” the company added.
The company says its design expertise is based on extensive engineering experience within the small-scale LNG carrier, bunker vessel, FSRU and fuel-gas system markets.

US East Coast

The 12,000 cubic metres LNG bunkering barge will be the largest of its kind built in the United States when delivered and is expected to start operations along the US East Coast in 2024.

“The maritime transport sector is quickly moving towards decarbonisation and compared to traditional fuels LNG offers a great opportunity to reduce carbon emissions,” stated TGE.

“The use of LNG as a fuel within the maritime industry has seen significant growth over the last years with around 30 percent of the worldwide order book currently based on LNG as fuel,” added TGE.

The TGE company is based in Bonn, Germany, and has an operational office in Shanghai, China.

It has so far delivered more than 250 projects to a variety of renowned ship owners and shipyards.

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is a full service shipyard for the Great Lakes area specializing in construction, repair, conversion and sustainment of commercial vessels, including articulated tug barge units, barges, dredges, ferries, platform support vessels and other specialty ships.

Dec 9 (LNGJ) - Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, based in Wisconsin near the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and Lake Michigan, has delivered the LNG bunkering barge “Clean Canaveral” to US NorthStar Midstream’s subsidiary Polaris New Energy. 

   The latest US bunkering barge has 5,400 cubic metres of capacity and will refuel LNG-powered vessels at ports in Florida. The LNG fuel will be sourced from a small-scale liquefaction plant near the port of Jacksonville. Polaris New Energy signed an agreement in November 2021 for the Wisconsin yard to build a sister ship to the “Clean Canaveral” to meet growing LNG fuel demand in the US.  

Crowley Maritime Corp. has ordered a new LNG bunkering barge to operate on the US East Coast and has signed a long-term time charter with Royal Dutch Shell.

On completion the US-built LNG bunker barge will be the largest Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, helping to expand current network capacity and meet demands for cleaner energy for ships calling at US ports.

The LNG fuelling barge will be built at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, located at Sturgeon Bay in the US state of Wisconsin.

“The new bunker barge will extend Crowley’s commitment to deliver cleaner, innovative solutions to help the shipping industry continue on the path to decarbonization,” said Tucker Gilliam, Vice President of Crowley Shipping.

“Orders for ships fuelled by LNG continue to rise and the vessel will provide Shell with an innovative and reliable service to meet demands for more sustainable energy sources,” added Gilliam.

The 416-foot-long barge will feature advanced technologies in cargo-handling capabilities and increased transfer rates, including a bunkering solution from Shell and Crowley Engineering Services for the flexible delivery of LNG to various types of LNG containment systems.

Crowley said the barge design would offer capacity of 12,000 cubic metres of LNG, the equivalent of 3.17 million gallons, and supply equipment to supply the growing LNG-powered fleet.

The US company noted that the vessel becomes the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under long-term charter in the US.

It is expected to be deployed to serve LNG-fuelled ships that call at ports on the US East Coast starting in 2024.

“Shell is dedicated to growing our LNG bunkering network across key trade routes, and this barge supports our commitment to helping provide our customers with the energy solution they are looking for,” said Tahir Faruqui, a general manager for Global LNG at Shell.

“The shipping sector is making progress toward decarbonization, and LNG offers immediate emissions reduction with the potential to become a net zero emission marine fuel given the possible roles of bio-LNG and synthetic LNG,” added Faruqui.

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding said the northern Midwest yard was delighted to take up the order.

“This additional LNG barge will serve as another demonstration of our commitment to building and servicing sustainable maritime endeavours, both in the United States and globally,” said Dario Deste, President and Chief Executive of Fincantieri Marine Group.

The LNG supply company in the US state of Florida owned by Pivotal LNG and NorthStar Midstream, plans to increase the liquefaction capabilities to 360,000 gallons per day and double its storage capacity to 4 million gallons using the growing expertise of construction services companies in the US small-scale LNG sector.

July 20 (LNGJ) - Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, based in Wisconsin near the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and Lake Michigan, has hosted a ceremonial keel-laying for the construction of an LNG bunkering barge for refuelling ships in Florida. The yard is a subsidiary of Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri.

   The 5,400 cubic metres capacity barge is being built for US company Polaris New Energy and will be named the “Clean Canaveral”. LNG will be sourced from a small-scale liquefaction plant in Jacksonville, Florida. “We are pleased to see the completion of this significant construction milestone,” said Polaris New Energy Senior Vice President Thomas Sullivan.