Posted on January 14, 2021
Q-LNG Transport and Shell Trading (US) Company report that the first offshore liquified natural gas bunkering articulated tug and barge in the United States, the Q-LNG 4000 is now ready for operations.
This follows successful completion of sea and gas trials (see earlier story).
Designed to provide ship-to-ship transfers of LNG to vessels utilizing LNG and ship-to-shore transfers to small scale marine distribution infrastructure, the ATB is designed to be an integral part of the LNG infrastructure along the southeast U.S. coast.
“Shell has an ambition to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner, in step with society, and we are working hard to deliver the kind of solutions our customers need now to help them decarbonize,” said Karrie Trauth, general manager for Shipping and Maritime, Americas, at Shell Trading (US) Company. “LNG is an important part of the solution today, and I’m proud that this vessel will effectively double the number of LNG bunker vessels in the U.S. and making it possible for us to continue to help others accelerate their own transition.”
The vessel complements Shell’s existing global network of six LNG bunker vessels to meet the growing global demand for cleaner maritime fuels.
“I’m pleased to have taken delivery and to begin our long term service contract with Shell Trading,” said Shane Guidry, CEO of Q-LNG. “All of my companies, including Q-LNG, are focused on, and will continue to do our part to design, build and operate vessels that will assist with the quest to decarbonize. We look forward to delivering extremely safe and reliable service, as we have done for Shell all of my career. I absolutely want to thank all of those with Shell who were very helpful throughout the build process and to especially thank everyone on my team, whom all remained focused and committed, with boots on the ground 24/7 to get this vessel across the finish line.”
Q-LNG Transport is the third LNG service company founded by Guidry. The first of those produced five dual fuel LNG Platform Supply Vessels, that was followed by the creation of the first U.S. marine LNG fueling terminal and, now, Quality Liquefied Natural Gas Transport has brought into service the first U.S.-flagged ATB capable of bunkering LNG.
Built at the Halter Marine shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., the Q-LNG 4000 barge has a carrying capacity of up to 4,000 cubic meters of LNG and dimensions of 324 by 64 by 32.6 feet while the tug has dimensions of 128 by 42 by 21 feet.
Source: marinelog
