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.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US maritime classification society, as issued its 2023 strategy message at the annual ABS Advisory Council Meeting which also included presentations from the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the US Coast Guard.

Eagle LNG Partners, said it would partner with the Royal Caribbean Group to provide liquefied natural gas bunkering for the cruise company’s LNG-powered ships.

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.

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.

Jan 10 (LNGJ) - Eagle LNG, a subsidiary of Ferus Natural Gas Fuels, said it supplied fuel to the Crowley Maritime Corp. vessel “Taino”, the second of two of the world’s first combination container and roll-on-roll-off ships powered by LNG. The “Taino” was refueled at the Eagle LNG shoreside bunkering depot at Jacksonville port in Florida before starting service on the Puerto Rico trade route. The “Taino”, built at the VT Halter Marine shipyard at Pascagoula in Mississippi, is joining its sister ship “El Coqui” to provide fast and environmentally-friendly shipping between Florida and the US territory in the Caribbean at a cost of $550 million, including port upgrades.

Crowley Maritime Corp., the US shipping line, has taken delivery of the “Taino”, the second of two of the world’s first combination container and roll-on-roll-off ships powered by liquefied natural gas and to be refueled at the Eagle LNG shoreside bunkering depot at Jacksonville port in Florida for service on the Puerto Rico trade route.

US shipbuilder Conrad Industries said it delivered the first liquefied natural gas bunkering barge built in North America to provide fuel to LNG-powered ships operating from Florida.