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More and more industry players enhance their efforts to the use of LNG in shipping. The global network SeaLNG now announced new members yet again.

The multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, to[ds_preview]day welcomed JAX LNG, Petronet LNG Limited and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) as new members.

Peter Keller, SEALNG Chairman and Executive Vice President, TOTE said: »As a coalition, SEALNG is expanding, which continues to illustrate the support for and momentum behind the use of LNG as a marine fuel. Our members span the entire LNG value chain and recognise that by pooling knowledge and working together, we can help drive the change needed across the marine transportation system.«

LNG, Crowley, Eagle, Jacksonville, Bunker, Jaxport
A new LNG bunker facility is being built in Jacksonville, Florida (Source: Crowley Maritime)

JAX LNG is a partnership created to bring secure liquefied natural gas supply to Florida. The partnership was formed in 2015 and brought together Pivotal LNG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company Gas, and NorthStar Midstream, backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. JAX LNG is constructing a state-of-the-art liquefaction and LNG storage facility with marine and trucking loading capabilities in Jacksonville, Florida. The new facility is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2017. The project includes an initial liquefaction capacity of 120,000 gallons of LNG per day and 2 million gallons of on-site LNG storage.

Tim Hermann, Manager of JAX LNG and President of Pivotal LNG emphasized that the terminal will expand the use of LNG throughout the southeastern U.S.

The second new member, Petronet LNG is described as »one of the fastest growing companies in the Indian energy sector«, has set up the country‘s first LNG receiving and regasification terminal at Dahej, Gujarat, and another terminal at Kochi, Kerala. The Dahej terminal has a nominal capacity of 15 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), which is being expanded to 17.5 MMTPA by 2019, and Kochi terminal has a capacity of 5 MMTPA. The company has four long-term chartered LNG ships transporting LNG from Qatar and Australia to Dahej and Kochi, India. In addition to re-gasification services, through its Kochi LNG Terminal, Petronet LNG is also offering LNG bunkering, gassing up and cooling down, as well as storage and re-loading services.

»By sharing intelligence with other SEALNG members, we know that the potential of LNG as a clean and commercially viable marine fuel can be realised more quickly.«

Prabhat Singh, MD & CEO, Petronet LNG

Toyota Tsusho Corporation is the sole trading company of Toyota Group. Further, Toyota Tsusho Petroleum (TTP) is a wholly owned subsidiary of TTC, a supplier and trader of bunker fuel worldwide with a presence in over 150 ports, supplying over five million tonnes of bunker fuel every year.

Yoshihiro Inoue, Executive Officer for Energy Business Unit, Toyota Tsusho Corporation commented: »As a member of the Toyota Group, we are committed to playing our part in lowering global emissions and are very pleased to collaborate with all members of SEALNG to challenge the future marine fuel environment.«

Expanding network

SEALNG recently announced an MoU with the Society for Gas as Marine Fuel (SGMF). The MoU is planned to create a framework for how the two complementary organisations will work together to achieve their common goal of making LNG the fuel of choice for the shipping industry.

The network members include: ABS, Bureau Veritas, Carnival Corporation & plc, Clean Marine Energy, DNV GL, Eagle LNG Partners, ENGIE, ENN Group, Gas Natural Fenosa, GE, GTT, JAX LNG, Keppel Gas Technology, Lloyd’s Register, Mitsubishi Corporation, NYK Line, Petronet LNG, Port of Rotterdam, Qatargas, Shell, Total, TOTE Inc., Toyota Tsusho and Wärtsilä.