The U.S. East Coast port of Jacksonville sees its LNG bunker facility coming in a few months. Crowley Maritime and Eagle LNG Partners started construction works and present a video showing some details.
The new shore-side, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility will be based on Cro[ds_preview]wley-leased property at Jaxport‘s Talleyrand Marine Terminal in Jacksonville. It will serve Crowley’s new Commitment Class, LNG-powered, combination container/Roll-on Roll-off (ConRo) ships, which are under construction for use in the U.S. Mainland-Puerto Rico trade.
Matt Jackson, vice president LNG at Crowley, states how the project fits into the company‘s overall expansion and modernization plan for its Puerto Rico service. Within the month, Chart Industries is expected to deliver two of its 1-million liter Decinske Giant cryogenic tanks at the site. According to Jackson, including the Jacksonville project, Crowley is investing more than $550 million in the two new, innovative ships, along with a new 900-foot pier, three new gantry cranes and a multitude of improvements at its Isla Grande terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The port of Jacksonville is quite active in the filed of LNG bunker technology, too. In cooperation with several other ports around the globe it intends to set up harmonized standards.
»The start of construction marks a milestone as we continue making progress with our partners, supplier Eagle LNG and Chart Industries, manufacturer of cryogenic storage tanks,« said Jackson. He adds that Crowley’s LNG and logistics groups are supporting construction of the Jacksonville facility by providing engineering expertise and transportation solutions for the equipment at the site. The facility will serve as the fueling station for the LNG-powered ships.
Weighing 260 tons, each cryogenic storage tank holds enough LNG to cover an average family’s electricity demand for 1,000 years. The tanks are en route to Jacksonville from Europe.
»Because of its multiple benefits, including being cleaner for the environment, we expect LNG demand for ship fuel to increase to 30 million tons a year (MTPA) by 2030. We recognize Crowley’s leadership as an early adopter of this fuel,« said Eagle LNG President Sean Lalani.
The ConRo ships will begin service in the second half of 2017 and first half of 2018. The ships, which are some of the world’s first to be powered by LNG, are designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots and carry containers ranging in size from 20-foot standard to 53-foot-long, 102-inch-wide, high-capacity units, along with hundreds of vehicles in enclosed, weather-tight car decking. They are part of a wider LNG project program Crowley has set up.
