Inaugural barge-to-ship LNG bunkering operation completed

The largest Jones Act-compliant LNG bunkering barge has completed its inaugural bunkering operation in Jacksonville, Florida.

The 5,500 cubic meter capacity Clean Canaveral operates as an articulated tug barge unit (“ATB”) and is owned by Polaris New Energy, a subsidiary of Seaside LNG Holdings. As part of the operation, LNG was loaded onto the Clean Canaveral at JAX LNG’s facility dock and then transferred approximately 600 metric tons of LNG to “cool down” and bunker the dual fuel tanker MT Eagle Brasilia, owned by AET.

Cool down is an operation to pre-cool cargo tanks and lines before taking on super-cooled LNG. The operation also marked the first barge-to-ship cool down performed in the United States.

JAX LNG is a joint venture between Seaside subsidiary Northstar Jacksonville and Pivotal LNG, a subsidiary of BHE GT&S.

“As expected, the Clean Canaveral performed very well during the bunkering process. The McAllister Towing crew operating the ATB, our vendors, regulatory agencies, JAXPORT and Polaris worked seamlessly together to ensure we were prepared for a successful bunkering,” said Tom Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Operations for Seaside. “In addition, the working relationship between AET, its ship-manager, Eaglestar, and the crew on the ATB was key to the safe transfer of LNG. We greatly appreciate AET’s confidence in our ability to safely conduct this inaugural bunkering.”

The Clean Canaveral was delivered to Polaris New Energy in December by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The 340-foot-long ATB, with 5,500 cubic meters of tank capacity, is the largest LNG bunkering barge ever built in the United States and will provide LNG fuel to ships along Florida’s eastern coast.

Fincantieri is also constructing a sister 5,500 cbm LNG bunkering barge for PNE Marine Holdings, an affiliate of Polaris New Energy, to be delivered by the end of 2023.

Source: gCaptain