Crowley recently accepted delivery of the LNG bunker barge Progress, the largest U.S. Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, after construction was completed at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
The Progress will expand access to cleaner energy for ship operators at the Port of Savannah, Georgia. Shell NA LNG, LLC, signed a long-term agreement with Crowley to operate the barge, providing another fueling location to ships using liquefied natural gas. “The Progress LNG bunker barge sets a new standard for quality and capability to serve the energy needs of the shipping industry,” said James C. Fowler, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Shipping. “LNG offers a safe and reliable solution for ocean carriers that advances the transition to lower emissions.
We congratulate the people whose dedication and hard work in designing and building this world-class vessel allowed us to reach this milestone for the U.S. industry and our customers.”
Designed by Crowley’s engineering services group, the 416-foot-long barge has a capacity of 12,000 cubic meters (3.17 million gallons) and features a transformative design, enabling supply of LNG to fuel ships.
Progress’ technologies include capability developed by Shell and Crowley’s engineering services group to deliver LNG to various types of LNG containment systems.
“Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding continues to be an industry leader in building LNG bunkering barges,” said Jan Allman, vice president and general manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.
“We take tremendous pride in seeing another FBS-built vessel leave Sturgeon Bay to its new operational home port. I am proud of the work of our entire Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding team.”
LNG is the lowest carbon fuel now available to shipping at scale, emitting up to 23 percent less greenhouse gas emissions (well-to-wake) compared to very/ultra-low sulfur fuel oil.
Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned-and-operated maritime, energy, and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with $3.4 billion in annual revenues, more than 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and about 7,000 employees around the world.
More info www.crowley.com
