MARAD funds LNG conversion project

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) said that it will provide over $1 million to support the development of two new “emission-reducing” maritime solutions.

The first is a liquefied natural gas conversion demonstration project and the second is modification of an on-board air pollution control device that will aid the United States maritime industry’s ongoing effort to decrease its environmental footprint, MARAD’s statement reads.

Through a cooperative agreement, MARAD has provided $730,000 to Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities to convert a towboat engine from diesel to LNG. Results from this demonstration project will help expand the development and availability of natural gas conversion technology for smaller scale tug, tow, and harbor vessels.

PRCC will collect air emissions data before and after the conversion, which will allow for operational and emissions comparisons.

A separate cooperative agreement will provide Interlake Steamship Company of Ohio $500,000 to retrofit the M/V Lee Tregurtha, which operates on the Great Lakes, with exhaust gas scrubber technology.

These demonstration projects are part of ongoing work by MARAD’s Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance program and the maritime industry to conduct research and demonstration projects in support of identifying alternative fuels and technologies for marine applications, it added.

Image: MARAD