Crowley Maritime Corp. and Eagle LNG Partners have started to build a new shore-side liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on Crowley-leased property at JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal in Jacksonville, Fla. The new LNG bunkering facility will serve Crowley’s Commitment Class LNG-powered combination container/roll-on roll-off (ConRo) ships presently under construction for use in the U.S. Mainland-Puerto Rico trade.
“LNG will provide a cleaner, efficient fuel source for our industry-leading Commitment Class ships, and our new JAXPORT bunkering terminal will support efficient operations with state-of-the art technology for bunkering operations,” said Matt Jackson, Crowley vice president, LNG. “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.”
Jackson highlighted the project and how it fits into Crowley’s overall expansion and modernization plan for its Puerto Rico service in a
video from Crowley.
Chart Industries is expected to deliver two of its new, 1-million liter Decinske Giant cryogenic tanks for LNG storage at the site within the month. Currently en route to Jacksonville from Europe, each cryogenic storage tank weighs 260 tons and holds enough LNG to cover an average family’s electricity demand for 1,000 years.
“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.
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.
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.
Scheduled to begin service in the second half of 2017 and first half of 2018, Crowley’s new ConRo ships will be some of the world’s first to be powered by LNG. The ships 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.
