The first ship-to-ship (STS) LNG bunkering operation ever to take place in Roatán, Honduras, has been carried out, with Carnival Cruise Line's LNG-powered vessel Carnival Jubilee receiving fuel at the Central American port.

According to Francesco Scarso, a senior first engineer and LNG engineer at Carnival Cruise Line, he acted as person in charge (PIC) for the operation, which involved a cryogenic transfer to an Excel-class vessel at a location where such an operation had not previously been conducted.

Writing on LinkedIn, Scarso described the operation as requiring coordination with port authorities, management of safety zones, and integration of an emergency shutdown (ESD) link system. "Executing a cryogenic transfer for an Excel-class vessel in a brand-new location brings immense responsibility," he said, adding that "the operation required total focus and zero room for error."

The Carnival Jubilee is one of Carnival Cruise Line's Excel-class vessels, a series of ships designed to run on LNG propulsion.

Roatán, an island off the northern coast of Honduras, is a port of call on Caribbean cruise itineraries.