---

Crowley Maritime Corporation recently participated as one of several Gas Technology Institute (GTI) funding collaborators to bring liquefied natural gas (LNG) awareness training to 150 stakeholders and first responders in Jacksonville.

GTI, in conjunction with the Florida State College at Jacksonville Fire Academy of the South (FAS), developed the first-of-its-kind training specifically for Port of Jacksonville area stakeholders including Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Departments, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville and area law enforcement.

The Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange (JMTX) - the maritime trade organization that coordinates the safe, secure and environmentally responsible management of the marine transportation system within the Port of Jacksonville - worked alongside U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville to seek out potential members of the funding collaborative and garner support from representatives of the local Area Contingency Planning (ACP) community. Since Crowley currently supplies LNG to Puerto Rico via barge and will take delivery of two container roll-on/roll-off (ConRo) ships in 2017, the company gave the green light to participate in the training endeavour.

"As a company, we take safety very seriously," said Cole Cosgrove, vice president. "As we and other companies in the Jacksonville area continue to embrace the LNG market, it's of utmost importance that we work with our local community to make sure we are all educated in safe handling of this new, environmentally beneficial marine fuel. This training was a first step to ensure all stakeholders have a unified approach to emergency response and clean-up should we ever experience an incident."

Training attendees were introduced to the basic characteristics and properties of LNG, its usefulness as a fuel, its hazards and safety precautions to take when working around the product. The group also learned basic and advanced firefighting techniques including identification of ignition sources, and what types of extinguishing agents exist and when to use them in varying situations. Upon completion, attendees satisfied basic LNG awareness as defined by the U.S. Coast Guard's Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW).

"The goal of this training is to keep the excellent safety record maintained by the marine transport of LNG in the past and apply it to the safe bunkering process as we fuel new LNG-fuelled vessels into the future," said Mark Marien, Crowley's manager, regulatory training.