Recently, Informa Maritime hosted LNG Fuel Summit and LNG Fuelled Tugs and Barge Event in New Orleans. This conference was attended by more than 100 members of the maritime industry, port authorities and state and local government agencies. Representing the U.S. Coast Guard was Lt. Cmdr. Dallas Smith. He is the Coast Guard’s National Technical Advisor for Liquefied Gas. He is assigned to the Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise (LGC NCOE), located in Port Arthur, Texas.
Smith provided a current update with regards to the Coast Guard’s involvement with and guidance on the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel and associated bunkering/maritime infrastructure projects. His presentation focused on services provided by the LCG NCOE and the status of national policies regulating LNG fueled vessels and LNG bunkering processes.
Below is a list of the services that the LGC NCOE provides and a list of the current Coast Guard policies regarding the carriage, transfer, and use of LNG as a marine fuel:
LGC NCOE
The LGC NCOE is one of six NCOEs nationwide focusing on providing industry specific consultation and services to the Coast Guard and maritime industry. The LGC NCOE provides technical advice on all matters related to foreign and U.S. flagged vessels and barges that carry liquefied gases in bulk and the marine transfer systems associated with LNG/LPG terminals. These include:
(1) Providing liquefied gas training and outreach opportunities;
(2) Liquefied gas workforce forecasting and performance development; and
(3) 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.
Current Policy
Current Coast Guard policy include CG-OES Policy Letter 01-15 Guidelines for Liquefied Natural Gas Fuel Transfer Operations and Training of Personnel on Vessels Using Natural Gas as Fuel and CG-OES Policy Letter 02-15 Guidance Related to Vessels and Waterfront Facilities Conducting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Marine Fuel Transfer (Bunkering) Operations. CG-ENG recently released Policy letter CG-ENG 02-15 Design Standards for US Barges intending to Carry Liquefied Natural Gas in Bulk. Policy letter CG-ENG 01-12 Equivalency Determination – Design Criteria for Natural Gas Fuel Systems was approved and has been in force since 2012.
The IMO’s current guidance concerning LNG fueled vessels is Resolution MSC.258(86) Interim Guidelines on Safety for Natural Gas-Fuelled Engine Installations in Ships. This IMO guideline is in force until the new International Code of Safety for Gas-Fueled Ships (IGF Code) is approved, which is expected in January, 2017.
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.
