Cargo tanks have been fitted to a 4,000-cbm LNG bunker barge newbuilding in the US that was contracted against a time charter with Shell.
Images seen by TradeWinds show the four 1,000-cbm tanks provided by Wartsila being fitted into the barge, which is under construction at VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi.
Shell Trading (US) agreed a long-term charter with Quality Liquefied Natural Gas Transport (Q-LNG Transport) on the oceangoing vessel in late 2017.
When the barge is delivered next year, it will be the second and largest to go into operation in the US — after the 2,200-cbm Clean Jacksonville (built 2018).
It will be owned and built by Q-LNG Transport, operated by Harvey Gulf International Marine and named the QLNG 4000.
Second possibility
There has been talk of a second vessel with double the capacity.
Q-LNG Transport is 70% owned by Harvey Gulf chief executive Shane Guidry and 30% by Harvey Gulf.
The barge has been ordered to supply LNG as bunkers to cruiseships visiting the US east coast, where it will be located.
The delivery of the vessel will dovetail with the first LNG-fuelled cruiseship delivery for Carnival Corp, with whom Shell has signed bunker supply agreements.
Shell is due to begin supplying LNG bunkers to Carnival’s 180,000-gt newbuilding Mardi Gras, which is to be based in Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship is due to be delivered cold from the yard with the intention of making its maiden transatlantic delivery voyage burning LNG.
The energy major has several LNG offtake agreements in the US that ould supply product to the barge. These include the Elba liquefaction terminal in Savannah, Georgia.
Q-LNG Transport's bunker barge is one of at least 17 LNG bunkering vessels on order worldwide to service the contracted and expected wave of ships booked that will use LNG as their main fuel.
