The Coast Guard’s Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise, or LGC NCOE, released two field notices providing recommendations regarding liquefied natural gas, or LNG, bunkering operations.
The LGC NCOE released Field Notice 01-16, titled ‘LNG Bunkering Job Aid for Facility to Vessel Operations.’ This notice augments existing policy with a recommended checklist specific for LNG facility to vessel bunkering operations which has been field tested at each of the approved LNG bunkering facilities in the U.S. The checklist can be used for initial and annual inspections of shore based LNG bunkering facilities and during transfer monitors of LNG bunkering operations from a facility to a vessel. The information provided in this field notice is to be used as a recommendation to help ensure the safety of marine LNG bunkering operations.
The checklist was developed by the LGC NCOE’s LNG as a Fuel Workforce Development Committee, or LNGFWDC, which is comprised of Coast Guard LNG facility inspectors, marine inspectors and gas carrier examiners from Sectors Puget Sound, San Diego, Mobile and Jacksonville; Marine Safety Units Texas City, Port Arthur and Houma; staff offices from Districts 7 and 8, Atlantic and Pacific Area, and Coast Guard Headquarter Offices: Design and Engineering Standards, Operating and Environmental Standards, Port and Facility Compliance and Commercial Vessel Compliance.
The LNGFWDC is utilizing their collective experience, available case studies, and tools from industry, class societies and other government agencies around the globe to identify nationally consistent workforce development recommendations for LNG fueling and LNG bunkering operations throughout the United States. The committee is currently developing a LNG bunkering job aid for vessel-to-vessel LNG bunkering operations and a LNG as a fuel machinery checklist. Both deliverables should be released within the next few months.
In addition, the LGC NCOE released Change 1 to Field Notice 01-15, titled ‘LNG Bunkering Recommendation.’ This notice updates a previous field notice signed on September 25, 2016 by differentiating the LNG bunkering recommendations specific for U.S. flagged vessels from recommendations for all vessels (U.S. and non-U.S. flagged vessels). Key changes are noted in the updated field notice with underlined text.
This LGC NCOE Field Notice augments existing policy with recommendations based off best practices and lessons learned observed during recent LNG bunkering operations. The information provided in this field notice is to be used as recommendations to help ensure the safety of marine LNG bunkering operations.
About LGC NCOE
The LGC NCOE is one of six nationwide national centers of expertise focusing on providing industry specific consultation and services to the Coast Guard and maritime industry. The LGC NCOE provides technical advice on matters related to liquefied gas in the maritime community; liquefied gas training and outreach opportunities; liquefied gas workforce forecasting and performance development; and technical expertise for the establishment of local and national liquefied gas guidance, policy and regulations.
For more information on the LGC NCOE, visit their website at www.uscg.mil/lgcncoe.
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.