Americas News
U.S. Puts $1.4M Toward LNG Bunker Projects
The U.S. government is spending $1.4 million on partnerships with Horizon Lines Inc. and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to study the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), which is providing the funding.
"Fuel-efficient ships appeal to the maritime industry for the exact same reasons that fuel-efficient cars appeal to consumers – they're easy on the environment and their pocketbooks," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
"The Obama Administration is committed to protecting our environment and reducing pollution, and the information we'll gather from these projects will help us strengthen America's clean energy economy."
The Horizon Lines project will use $900,000 to help convert the containership Horizon Spirit to an LNG-fuelled system and monitor the results.
The conversion of the vessel, which operates between California and Hawaii, is expected by late 2015.
The DNV project is a study of the LNG bunkering process, including the landside infrastructure needed to supply the fuel, which is expected to be completed by the spring of 2014.
"The maritime industry is taking important steps to reduce vessel air emissions," said Acting Maritime Administrator Paul N. Jaenichen.
"Using clean energy means green efficient transportation and a better environment for mariners who work aboard these vessels and others who work in the maritime industry and communities."
William P. Doyle, commissioner of the U.S. Federal Maritime Administration (FMA), recently said that the Obama administration is embracing LNG bunkers because of the potential environmental and economic benefits.
