Wed 14 Nov 2012 08:51

Project to develop US LNG bunkering facility


Louisiana project forms part of overall plan to develop LNG bunkering facilities on each US coast.



Waller Marine, Inc., through its LNG development subsidiaries, Waller Energy Holdings, LLC and Waller LNG Services, LLC, has initiated activities on its first natural gas liquefaction (LNG) facility to be constructed on a 175-acre site the company has acquired at the entrance point of the Calcasieu Ship Channel in Cameron Parish, Southwest Louisiana.

Using small-scale liquefaction technology, the company plans to install nominal 500,000-gallon-per-day LNG trains in phases as the market and demand for marine LNG fuels expands.

The first trains are planned for the Waller PointTM LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, and additional trains are planned for a second terminal which it is developing through its subsidiary Waller Energy Partners, LLC, at a site to be secured on the Mississippi River in the first quarter of 2013. These will be the first two of the initial seven small scale LNG terminals the company plans to install at strategic locations on each US coast.

With the looming regulatory requirement for vessel’s to comply with new ECA emission control regulations when operating in the territorial waters of the United States, the company’s focus is to supply LNG to the marine fuels market.

To enable the supply and distribution of LNG to and from small scale LNG terminals and for bunkering LNG as a marine fuel, Waller has conceived and designed a series of small LNG vessels, ranging from its 2,000 to 10,000 cubic meter capacity river transport and bunker barges and its 10,000 to 30,000 cubic metre coastwise ATB LNG vessels.

Waller’s innovative concepts are patent pending before the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), and Waller has recently acquired Approvalin Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

US vessel owners are faced with increasing costs of operations as the ECA regulations drive decisions on how they should comply; one, by installing scrubbers in the exhausts or two, by using ultra-low sulfur fuels. A third alternative that will permit compliance with emissions is the use of LNG to fuel their vessels. With strategically-located LNG supply facilities, a distribution of the fuel by Waller barges to small-scale LNG storage terminals combined with ship fueling with Waller LNG bunker barges at anchorages, ports and terminals throughout the US, vessel owners will have access to LNG. Waller anticipates that substantial savings can be achieved by vessel owners using LNG fuels with payback for conversion costs being as short as six months.

Waller has also initiated a vessel conversion strategy and is working with partners on providing funding for the conversion of ships to be fuelled by LNG. Working with engine manufacturers and equipment suppliers, Waller is engineering shipboard LNG fuel storage and supply systems for vessels having a range of horsepower. The company is also developing pre-manufactured systems to reduce or eliminate downtime during conversion.

Opening of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), 83rd Session, April 7, 2025. IMO approves pricing mechanism based on GHG intensity thresholds  

Charges to be levied on ships that do not meet yearly GHG fuel intensity reduction targets.

Preemraff Göteborg, Preem's wholly owned refinery in Gothenburg, Sweden. VARO Energy expands renewable portfolio with Preem acquisition  

All-cash transaction expected to complete in the latter half of 2025.

Pictured: Biofuel is supplied to NYK Line's Noshiro Maru. The vessel tested biofuel for Tohoku Electric Power in a landmark first for Japan. NYK trials biofuel in milestone coal carrier test  

Vessel is used to test biofuel for domestic utility company.

Pictured (from left): H-Line Shipping CEO Seo Myungdeuk and HJSC CEO Yoo Sang-cheol at the contract signing ceremony for the construction of an 18,000-cbm LNG bunkering vessel. H-Line Shipping orders LNG bunkering vessel  

Vessel with 18,000-cbm capacity to run on both LNG and MDO.

Stanley George, VPS Group Technical and Science Manager, VPS. How to engineer and manage green shipping fuels | Stanley George, VPS  

Effective management strategies and insights for evolving fuel use.

Sweden flag with water in background. Swedish government bans scrubber wastewater discharges  

Discharges from open-loop scrubbers to be prohibited in Swedish waters from July 2025.

The ME-LGIA test engine at MAN's Research Centre Copenhagen. MAN Energy Solutions achieves 100% load milestone for ammonia engine  

Latest tests validate fuel injection system throughout the entire load curve.

Terminal Aquaviário de Rio Grande (TERIG), operated by Transpetro. Petrobras secures ISCC EU RED certification for B24 biofuel blend at Rio Grande  

Blend consisting of 24% FAME is said to have been rigorously tested to meet international standards.

Avenir LNG logo on sea background. Stolt-Nielsen to fully control Avenir LNG with acquisition  

Share purchase agreement to buy all shares from Golar LNG and Aequitas.

Seaspan Energy's 7,600 cbm LNG bunkering vessel, s1067, built by Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co., Ltd. Bureau Veritas supports launch of CIMC SOE's LNG bunkering vessel  

Handover of Seaspan Energy's cutting-edge 7,600-cbm vessel completed.


↑  Back to Top