Crowley to provide LNG bunkering services on the Pacific Side of Panama Canal
Crowley Shipping, a provider of transportation and logistics services, announced on October 24 that it will provide LNG bunkering services on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. This is the first permit issued by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) for the provision of such services.
Crowley will operate the service to manage the ship-to-ship LNG transfer services. With a potential start date in 2024, Crowley is preparing to provide bunkering and related port solutions to safely deliver lower-emission LNG to vessels for fuel and cryogenic tank cooldown services at the canal.
LNG is widely accepted as the most practical transitional alternative fuel for maritime shipping. To stay ahead of the rapid deployment of LNG-powered ships across the global market, Crowley is strategically growing its LNG bunkering operations across North and Central America.
"The Panama Canal will become a key location for vessels to take on LNG, and Crowley's future Panamanian bunkering service will give international ship owners confidence to continue to adopt LNG across their fleets," said James Fowler, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Shipping.
In 2014, Crowley received the first small-scale LNG export license from the US Department of Energy for LNG transportation from the US into free trade agreement (FTA) and non-free trade (NFTA) countries. The company then started small scale LNG transportation and engineering to Puerto Rico.
Crowley's services expanded in 2022 with the opening of an LNG truck-loading terminal in Penuelas, Puerto Rico. A 12,000 m3 LNG bunker barge, the largest in the US, is under construction with a long-term charter agreement with Shell to begin service in 2024 for ships on the US East Coast, Crowley said.