LNG bunkering potential market for America’s gas resources

LNG bunkering is a potential market for America’s natural gas resources, Commissioner William P. Doyle of the Federal Maritime Commission said on Wednesday.

“The Federal Maritime Commission’s mission is to foster a fair, efficient and reliable international ocean transportation system. By bringing elements of the maritime industry together with the energy sector, we are beginning a long-term dialogue that should culminate in greater understanding and use of domestic natural gas that is cost-efficient and with significant environmental compliance benefits,” Doyle said at a roundtable discussion focusing on the topic of liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel.

The forum, which was held at the suggestion of the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA), brought together a range of government officials and industry stakeholders across the maritime, energy and transportation sectors, a press release by the Federal Maritime Commission said.

The forum highlighted the progress made by U.S.-based marine operators Harvey Gulf Marine, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, and Crowley Maritime who are transitioning to fueling their vessels with LNG. For U.S. operators, these retrofits and new builds take place exclusively in U.S. shipyards, the statement said.

International ocean carriers United Arab Shipping Company and Wallenius Wilhelmsen also shared their deep-sea perspective on the choice of fuels. Wallenius Wilhelmsen heads up the Trident Alliance while United Arab Shipping Company has ordered seventeen LNG- ready vessels scheduled to be fully delivered by 2016, including one 14,000 TEU container ship, ten 15,000 TEU container ships and six 18,000+ TEU container vessels.

According to the statement, energy companies Sempra and Shell noted that natural gas will continue to become an important part of the global gas supply and called for continual infrastructure development. LNG America, a future natural gas bunker supplier, and design and service providers WesPac Midstream and Buffalo Marine Services, concurred that the LNG marine fuel/bunkering markets have room to grow.

Port authorities from Philadelphia, Jacksonville and New York/New Jersey also attended and commented that beneficial cargo owners are asking about sustainability. As a result, port authorities are looking at LNG as both a marine fuel and for shore-side operations, including drayage trucks and cargo handling machinery.

Government attendees included representatives from the U.S Department of Transportation, the U.S. Maritime Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. State Department and the Texas Department of Transportation, the statement added.

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LNG World News Staff