South Norwalk, CT, USA: North America’s first LNG bunker barge is scheduled to be launched in February of 2016, Clean Marine Energy LLC (CME) announced following a US Coast Guard (USCG) and Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) hosted tour at Conrad Shipyard in Orange, TX. Roughly 200 industry partners participated in the tour in conjunction with the USCG Liquefied Gas Senior Executive Forum held at USCG Sector Houston on Dec. 9.
The 2, 200 m3 barge hull construction is near complete and abrasive blasting and painting is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks. The LNG Mark III Flex cargo containment system, designed by Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT), is scheduled to be installed immediately following the February launch. The Bristol Harbor Group designed and ABS classed vessel will be outfitted with the Conrad’s custom fabricated 20m bunker mast under GTT license which will enable the barge to service a wide variety of vessels. The barge will also be equipped with six DH Industries StirLNG-4 cryocoolers capable of handling 125% of the B.O.G. in addition to the many other systems specifically designed for this vessel’s LNG bunkering application to deliver the coldest LNG to the end user.
The barge will be delivered to Jacksonville, FL in the 3rd Quarter of 2016 to service TOTE’s newbuild “Marlin class” container vessels and other LNG-powered vessels in and around the Port of Jacksonville and the Southeast. The Isla Bella, the first of two ships, arrived in Jacksonville in early December and is currently operating a liner service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her sister, the Perla Del Caribe, is anticipated to enter service in the second half of February 2016.
CME is partnered with WesPac Midstream LLC (WesPac) and together with Pivotal LNG (Pivotal), a subsidiary of AGL Resources, will own and operate JAX LNG, a small scale liquefaction facility in the port of Jacksonville. The plant is planned to be commissioned during the 1st Quarter of 2017 and will be capable of providing LNG to locations up and down the Florida and Georgia coasts.
About Clean Marine Energy
CME offers ship owners tailored solutions for emissions compliance, including a
proprietary financing mechanism to retrofit vessels with LNG fueling technology without a large upfront capital requirement. CME’s comprehensive offering is built on strategic partnerships between industry leaders that combine technology, engineering expertise, capabilities and track record. CME developed the LNG barge project with its partner, WesPac Midstream, to serve the JAX LNG plant. Please visit CME’s website at http://www.cleanmarineenergy.
About WesPac Midstream
WesPac is a private energy infrastructure company founded in 1998 to develop, build, own and operate midstream assets in North America. WesPac’s primary focus is on infrastructure for the emerging transportation sector for marine vessels, trains and vehicles switching to LNG from diesel or other oil-based fuels. WesPac provides turnkey solutions that are designed and engineered by WesPac for the specific needs of its customers. Please visit WesPac’s website at http://www.wespac.com/
About GTT
GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) is the world leader in cryogenic membrane
containment systems used for the transport and the storage of LNG. For over 50 years, GTT has offered to its customers technologies which allow them to optimize storage space and reduce the construction and operation costs of ships or tanks equipped with these systems. GTT operates in several sectors: LNGCs (Liquefied Natural Gas Carriers) and VLECs (Very Large Ethane Carriers), Multi-gas carriers, FLNGs (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas units), FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification units), onshore storage tanks and the use of LNG as a fuel. GTT is listed on Euronext Paris, Compartment A (ISIN FR0011726835 Euronext Paris: GTT) and is included in SBF 120 and MSCI Small Cap indices. Please visit GTT’s website athttp://www.gtt.fr/.
About Conrad Shipyard
Conrad Shipyard, LLC specializes in the construction, conversion and repair of a wide variety of marine vessels for commercial and governmental customers and the
fabrication of modular components of offshore drilling rigs and floating, production,
storage and offloading vessels. Conrad’s Orange, Texas shipyard has been licensed by GTT to build their membrane tanks in the US. The yard is located on the Sabine River approximately 37 miles from the Gulf of Mexico on approximately 24 acres. The shipyard has six construction bays under approximately 110, 000 square feet of
enclosed building area with 14 overhead cranes. Please visit Conrad’s website at http://www.
About TOTE
TOTE is a leading transportation and logistics company, overseeing some of the most trusted companies in the U.S. TOTE Maritime companies TOTE Maritime Alaska and TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico bring provide reliable service to the Alaska and Puerto Rico markets. TOTE Services offers crewing and technical services to meet the needs of commercial, privately owned and U.S. Government vessels. TOTE is part of the Saltchuk family of companies. Please visit TOTE’s website at http://www.toteinc.com.
