A new offshoot of energy company AES Corp will start supplying LNG bunkers to vessels on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal from the first quarter of 2025.
AES said in a notice to shipping this week that its company, Panam LNG Bunkering, has been formed exclusively to provide LNG bunkering services in Panama.
In a strategic initiative with Seaspan Energy, the new venture will deploy the 7,600-cbm LNG bunker vessel newbuilding Seaspan Garibaldi for these operations.
Canada’s Seaspan and AES signed a memorandum of understanding a year ago on providing LNG bunkering services for vessels transiting the Panama Canal.
At the time, they said AES’ Costa Norte LNG terminal, which is under construction in Colon, Panama, would be used to supply vessels from the second half of 2024.
The Seaspan Garibaldi is the first of three new LNGBVs for Seaspan. The company said three weeks ago that the vessel will undergo commissioning in Vancouver before its first ship-to-ship bunkering in Long Beach, California, where it will provide simultaneous operations to bunker a series of vessels.
It had originally said the LNGBV would be deployed on the west coast of North America, but it is also due to take delivery shortly of a second 7,600-cbm newbuilding, the Seaspan Lions, which will probably give it flexibility on the deployment of its ships.
AES said the new bunkering operations are expected to be at a local terminal or a designated LNG bunkering anchorage specified by the Panama Canal Authority or the Panama Maritime Authority.
Ricardo Diaz Urrutia has been appointed LNG marketing and origination manager to handle customer relations and coordinate with Seaspan Energy, which owns the LNGBV.
AES said it is aiming to open discussions with potential clients to reserve bunkering slots and negotiate contract terms and conditions.
It invited expressions of interest in reserving slots to be submitted by 15 November, after which contract negotiations and compatibility studies would take place.
The company’s schedule shows that it hopes to reach agreements between parties by January.
“By initiating these early discussions, AES seeks to facilitate a smooth integration of LNG bunkering into client operations, helping stakeholders meet environmental goals and adapt to evolving fuel requirements for vessels transiting the Panama Canal and docking at Panamanian ports,” AES said.
The LNG bunkering network has been fanning out globally as more dual-fuel vessels are ordered and delivered. But there are still glaring gaps in the supply, including the Middle East and Panama.
SGMF — formerly the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel — says there are 114 ports supplying LNG as a fuel, along with 65 in-operation LNGBVs, plus 23 on order.
