Firms bet on US LNG bunkering growth

Demand for LNG as a marine fuel in the US and Central America is set to grow sharply in the coming years, as the global LNG-fuelled fleet expands rapidly and with firms keen to lock in capacity as new environmental standards on maritime emissions take effect.

LNG bunkering capacity and infrastructure — onshore terminals, and LNG bunkering barges and bunkering vessels (LNGBVs) — in the US and Central America has expanded rapidly in recent years. And the global LNG-fuelled fleet is projected to expand to 1,154 vessels by 2033 from around 675 presently, according to DNV's Alternative Fuels Insight platform.

The US Gulf coast and east coast are already home to several LNG bunkering facilities, utilising onshore terminals, bunkering barges and LNGBVs. Access to LNG as a marine fuel will be critical as the fleet grows, with Matt Jackson, vice-president of US firm Crowley's advanced energy division, telling Argus that North America needs up to 15-20 LNGBVs over the next 10 years to meet demand. Crowley recently launched the 12,000m³ Progress LNG bunkering barge, which uses LNG supply from the Elba Island facility and is under charter with Shell; Jackson said car carriers and containerships are expected to be the Progress' primary users.

US needed for global LNG bunker network

Infrastructure in the US will also be key in creating a worldwide supply chain, and "by 2032 or so, the North American market will be the second-largest bunker market after Asia", Jackson said.

More LNG bunkering assets will be required in the US to meet that demand, he added.

Jonathan Cook, chief executive at US firm Pilot LNG, which has two LNG bunkering projects in the region — the Galveston LNG Bunker Port (GLBP) in Texas and the Salina Cruz LNG terminal in Mexico — has a similar view on growth in the Americas. The US is attractive as a hub because its Henry Hub spot price is typically a lot less volatile than the Dutch TTF gas hub, Cook said, providing customers with more certainty over long-term price movements. Pilot is looking to price supply from GLBP, which is being built with US firm Seapath, and from Salina Cruz against the Henry Hub, he said.

This low-cost gas, coupled with predictable fixed costs for terminal usage and barge costs, also makes additional expenditure to ensure compliance with the US Jones' Act less of a problem, he added. Crowley's Jackson has a similar view, as US gas is some of the most affordable in the world, and — despite the Jones Act — pricing stability can draw in major companies, he added.

The Central American market is key in developing a network, with more LNG-powered vessels poised to pass through the Panama Canal.

Pilot LNG's Salina Cruz terminal on Mexico's Pacific coast will supply LNG to demand hubs around Central America, including Panama, Cook said. Salina Cruz is due to be fed by Mexican gas — mostly associated gas — so the Jones Act will not be a consideration and the project will help to reduce flaring, Pilot added.

Development of the US and Central American LNG bunkering market will be key in encouraging uptake of the fuel globally, with more supply points required to support the fleet as corporations seek to decarbonise. Hurdles such as the Jones Act do impose large costs on firms, but the lower cost of gas and availability of LNG in the region mean that many firms say they believe LNG bunkering demand will grow sharply in the region.

By Eleanor Holbrook