Polaris New Energy’s recently delivered LNG bunkering barge, Clean Canaveral, has completed its first operation in Jacksonville, according to McAllister Towing.
New York-based McAllister Towing said via its social media last week that the company’s unit McAllister Towing LNG Services had completed the “first ever LNG cool down via barge in North America”.
The firm completed the operation in cooperation with Jax LNG, a production facility in Jacksonville owned by NorthStar and Pivotal LNG, Jaxport, and Malaysia’s AET Tankers.
McAllister Towing did not provide any additional information.
The company’s unit is managing the articulated tug and barge unit as part of a deal revealed in August last year.
McAllister Towing’s image shows that the 5,400-cbm LNG bunkering barge provided the fuel to AET’s LNG dual-fuel Aframax, Eagle Brasilia, which is on charter to Shell.
600 metric tons of LNG
NorthStar Midstream confirmed this operation in a statement later on Monday, saying it marked the first barge-to-ship cool down performed in the US.
As part of the operation, Clean Canaveral transferred approximately 600 metric tons of LNG to cool down and bunker the LNG-powered tanker Eagle Brasilia.
Earlier this month, US shipbuilder Master Boat Builders said it has delivered the new tug which was joined with Polaris New Energy’s LNG bunkering barge.
Prior to that, US-based Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding delivered the LNG bunkering barge to Polaris New Energy, a unit of Oaktree Capital Management-backed NorthStar.
Besides its bunkering capabilities, the barge can also work as a small-scale LNG carrier.
In addition to this vessel, NorthStar has ordered another LNG bunkering barge at Fincantieri Bay.
This new 5,500-cbm ship will be a sister vessel to Clean Canaveral.
(Updated with a statement by NorthStar Midstream on Monday)