The bunker barges will serve the dual purpose of moving LNG from LNG America’s Louisiana supply source to coastal-based storage and distribution terminals and in directly bunkering large ships, once in operational.
The vessels, which are expected to include an initial planned capacity of around 3,000 cubic meters of LNG, will be delivered in late 2015.
LNG America CEO Keith Meyer said the firm plans to serve and facilitate the growing marine demand for LNG.
"LNG America sees the demand for marine LNG to be robust as long as LNG can be made available to the maritime industry on a reliable, dependable and cost-competitive basis," Meyer added.
Jensen Maritime vice president Johan Sperling said, "The significance of this agreement is not only incredible news for the marine industry, which struggles with whether to develop LNG infrastructure or vessels first, but also for companies along the U.S. Gulf that hope to replace their traditional vessels with cleaner, more efficient LNG-powered ones."
Image: Image: Design of LNG bunker barge. Photo: Courtesy of Jensen Maritime.
