Seaside expands US LNG bunker fleet

Seaside LNG continues its expansion into the US LNG bunkering sector with the acquisition of TOTE Maritime’s bunker barge Clean Jacksonville.

The company, backed by the Houston-based investment manager Arroyo, has, via its maritime transportation unit Polaris New Energy, struck a deal to continue fueling TOTE’s LNG-powered containerships and with TOTE Services to continue serving as the technical manager of the 2,200 cu m vessel.

The Clean Jacksonville complements the bunkering services of Polaris’ 5,500 cu m Clean Canaveral the largest bunker barge in the Jones Act market. Polaris also has a sister bunker barge, the Clean Everglades, under construction, set to enter the market by the end of 2023. Following the acquisition, the company, which also operates North America’s first small-scale coastal LNG plant in a joint venture with Pivotal, boasts the largest fleet of LNG barges operating in the US.

Other players in the US LNG bunkering segment include Q-LNG Transport, which owns the Q-LNG 4000, a 4,000 cu m articulated tug and bunker barge operating in the US under a long-term charter to Shell, while Crowley Maritime is building a 12,000 cu m LNG bunker vessel that will be delivered into a long-term charter to Shell in 2024.