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.

NorthStar Midstream, a portfolio company of funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, has formed Polaris New Energy (PNE), a transport company focused on the shipping and distribution of LNG along US coastal and inland waterways.

NorthStar has also signed an agreement with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build a 5,400 cu m barge, with the ability to potentially construct two sister barges.

With a suitable tugboat, the barge will operate as an articulated tug and barge unit (ATB) that will initially operate along the US East Coast providing LNG bunkers to NorthStar’s customers.

PNE will be sourcing LNG from JAX LNG, the new LNG production facility in Jacksonville, Florida created through a partnership between NorthStar and Pivotal LNG.

The ATB will be fitted with four 1,350 cu m IMO Type ‘C’ tanks and will be fitted with a cargo handling system designed and developed by Wärtsilä. Her dimensions will be 340 ft overall length, 66 ft beam, and a depth of 32 ft10 ins. The ATB will be an ABS classed barge.

Tim Casey, NorthStar Midstream Executive President of LNG,explained: “The construction of this barge will expand our ability to solve the logistics behind delivering LNG to our customers in both an economical and safe manner.

“As domestic natural gas continues to rise, LNG has quickly become both a clean and competitively priced fuel alternative. We see increased domestic industries looking to LNG as their future fuel source, and we are extremely excited to be on the forefront of LNG domestic marine transportation. This is a first step in Oaktree and NorthStar’s strategy to create a complete platform of LNG logistical solutions for US customers, ” he said.

Todd Thayse, Vice President and General Manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, added: “Entry into the US LNG transportation vessel market has been a strategic interest of our organisation. Partnering with NorthStar and its affiliate companies on this project gives us the opportunity to be part of this exciting emerging industry and related market growth.

“As we put this project into place, we will bring the expertise of Fincantieri and our own designs to the LNG market. The hard working women and men of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding are well prepared and eager to begin, providing the eventual on-time delivery and quality the maritime industry has come to know and expect from our shipyards,” he said.

The Finnish liquefied natural gas-powered icebreaker “Polaris”, the first of its kind in the world, has completed its first bunkering operation at the Tornio Manga import terminal in Finland.

There are two Finnish import terminals at Tornio and Pori. The “Polaris”, which runs on both low-sulfur marine diesel and LNG, requires around 700 cubic metres of LNG when re-fueling.

It can be bunkered either in port in a quayside truck-to-ship operation or at a terminal. The “Polaris” is in the government-owned ice-breaking fleet of Arctia and is one of eight vessels.

The “Polaris” area of operations is with two other ice-breakers assisting shipping traffic in the Bothnian Bay area of the northern Baltic Sea.

“The Nordic region’s largest LNG receiving terminal provided the cleanest fuel in a port surrounded by ice at least four months a year,” said Arctia of the latest fuel operation.

Finland’s Arctech Helsinki Shipyard built the “Polaris” and its first bunkering was carried out in June 2016 by the Skangas unit of Finnish natural gas company Gasum.
This was a truck-to-ship bunkering operation organized at Vuosaari harbour in Finland.

The LNG-powered “Polaris” is designed to continuously move through ice that is up to 1.6 metres thick.

The vessel can also break a 25-metre wide channel in 1.2 metre-thick ice at a speed of 6 knots, as well as to reach 9-11 knots of average assistance speed in the Baltic Sea.

Gasum is the leading Nordic supplier of LNG as well as having regasification and bunkering assets to cater for various markets from shipping to the industrial sectors in Finland, Sweden and Norway.

In addition to the two import terminals, Gasum owns a small-scale liquefaction plant in Risavika in Norway and two other regasification terminals at Ora in Norway and in Lysekil in Sweden.

The Finnish LNG-powered icebreaker “Polaris”, the first of its kind in the world, is continuing its sea trials after taking on fuel in a truck-to-ship bunkering operation organized by Norwegian company Skangas at Vuosaari harbour in Finland.

Finland has begun sea trials for the world’s first LNG-powered icebreaker named “Polaris” and built at the Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.