American Shipper was invited to tour the LNG-powered vessel before it joined sister ship El Coqui on the rotation between Florida and Puerto Rico.
Crowley’s newest ConRo vessel, the LNG-powered Taino, departed on its maiden voyage Tuesday and joins sister ship El Coqui on the rotation between Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The departure ceremony in Jacksonville was attended by Crowley CEO and Chairman Tom Crowley (pictured below left with JAXPORT CEO Eric Green), who said he sees LNG as the fuel of the future.
“The International Maritime Organization’s 2020 sulfur cap has prompted companies to start buying scrubbers and enacting surcharges to prepare for the added bunker cost of switching to low-sulfur fuels. Crowley was one of the first in the industry to start putting infrastructure in place years before the deadline,” he said.
Crowley used Tuesday’s event to showcase its new state-of-the-art LNG bunker facility in Jacksonville.
The company said LNG is cheaper than conventional bunker fuel and, with recent advances in U.S. production, prices should continue to stay low. Another advantage over a traditional bunker facility is the architectural footprint, according to Crowley, which said the LNG bunker facility is built on only two acres of land.
Eagle LNG Partners is responsible for maintaining the bunker and Vice President Linda Berndt explained the challenges of building the new facility.
“The LNG bunker at JAXPORT is a new design for the industry and meets high safety expectations. The natural gas is conditioned by nitrogen to maintain the cryogenic temperature of the LNG, assuring a high-density fuel which improves a ship’s range. The LNG can then be pumped up to 2,700 gallons a minute to fill a vessel in approximately eight hours,” Berndt said.
LNG is not only cheaper than conventional bunker fuel, it is better for the environment, Berndt said. When compared to high-sulfur bunker fuel, LNG has 92 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions. LNG also produces no sulfur oxide or particulate matter emissions and will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Also on hand for Tuesday’s ceremony was JAXPORT CEO Eric Green, who sees the relationship with Crowley as mutually beneficial.
“Crowley could have chosen to build this new infrastructure at other ports, and we are glad they decided to invest in Jacksonville. These new vessels along with the new LNG bunker facility will provide job growth to JAXPORT,” Green said.
Watch Alexander Ullmann’s video from Tuesday’s event below: