Submitted by Lt. Cmdr. Eric Hanson, National Technical Advisor,
Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise

The Coast Guard’s Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise (LGC NCOE) partnered with Sector Jacksonville to provide a four-day “LNG as Fuel Workshop” for current and future inspectors of LNG fueled vessels, Sept. 23-26, 2019.

The workshop, which was a collaboration between industry and the Coast Guard, provided approximately 35 Coast Guard marine inspectors from across the nation with an overall understanding and awareness of LNG as a marine fuel, knowledge which they can apply while overseeing new construction projects, examining visiting foreign vessels, overseeing bunkering operations, and regulating fuel system conversions.

Instructors and representatives came from Texas A&M’s Emergency Services Training Institute, Pivotal LNG, The Fire Academy of the South, ABS’s Global Gas Solutions, Tote, Crowley, Foss, EAGLE LNG and OCS Group. The workshop consisted of both classroom and hands on instruction, including:

• Texas A&M, whose staff has been training responders for years, taught LNG behavior characteristics
• Pivotal LNG and the Fire Academy of the South generously provided materials and a facility for Coast Guard students to witness live fire and hands-on firefighting techniques. 
• Tote, Pivotal, Foss, Eagle LNG, and Crowley provided overviews and accommodated site visits to learn about LNG Systems on their respective vessels and facilities. 
• OCS Group earned arguably the most positive feedback from attendees for teaching hazardous area electrical fundamentals intricate safety components to vessels with these systems and to identify deficiencies in installation and maintenance on vessels that carry liquefied gas.  

Harvey Gulf International Marine LLC., Tote Maritime, and Crowley Maritime Corp. are already operating LNG-fueled vessels on the Gulf Coast and in the Caribbean. Cruise ships, RO-RO vessels, and container ships are the next set of LNG-fueled vessels to call on U.S. ports commencing in 2020 and have made the move to LNG in order to meet international emission requirements.

“For the past 60 years, the shipping industry has had an impressive safety record of transporting liquefied gas on ships,” said Lt. Cmdr. Eric Hanson, the LGC NCOE’s National Technical Advisor. “However, it is important for both the industry and Coast Guard to be proactive in learning and maintaining a safety system around these relatively new and dynamic propulsion systems in the next wave of vessel types.”

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.