AUGUST 2026
The most common delivery method in LNG bunkering operations is ship-to-ship (STS) or barge-to-ship (BTS) transfers. Currently, there are only 60 LNG bunkering vessels globally with a combined capacity of 521,257 m3. There are another 43 LNG bunkering vessels with a combined capacity of 759,100 m3 on order. However, there are several other delivery methods.
This delivery method is most often used for LNG-powered ferry boats and other small vessels in northern Europe. A tanker truck loads volumes at racks inside a nearby LNG import terminal and drives to a dock where a hose is used to pump the fuel to the ship directly from the truck. A typical truck can haul 10,000 gallons of LNG, which is equal to nearly 38 m3. This delivery method can also be seen in early-stage LNG bunkering markets and would be impractical for larger ships requiring thousands of cubic meters.
This delivery method was used by Stabilis Solutions and Seaside LNG to deliver volumes to the Carnival Jubilee cruise ship in Galveston. Tanker trucks haul LNG from distant liquefaction plants or import terminals to a dock where volumes are pumped one delivery at a time onto the barge. Once the barge is full, it can then transfer the volumes to the customer vessel. Depending on the storage capacity of the barge, and the capacities of the tanker trucks dozens of truck deliveries may be required. The method’s carbon footprint could be an issue for some buyers.
Some LNG bunkering operations involve transferring volumes directly from onshore storage tanks to a receiving vessel using dockside loading arms or hoses. The LNG can come from a liquefaction plant, import terminal or marine fuel depot. This method is used at some Scandinavian ferry ports and ports such as Rotterdam. Puget LNG in Tacoma, Washington has a dedicated cryogenic pipeline that delivers volumes to the neighboring TOTE Maritime Alaska terminal where the fuel is loaded directly onto the shipping company’s Jones Act-compliant container ships and roll on-roll off (ro-ro) vessels that operate between Tacoma and Alaska. Eagle LNG trucks volumes roughly 25 miles from its Maxville facility in Jacksonville, Florida to storage tanks at JAXPort’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal where the fuel is loaded directly onto combination container/ro-ros owned by Crowley. Although primarily an LNG supplier serving regional and Caribbean markets via ISO containers, the Sawgrass LNG plant in Miami completed its first shore-to-ship bunkering operation for a cruise vessel in March 2026. Along the US Gulf Coast, the Port of Galveston is proposing to convert its Pier 37 into a shore-to-ship LNG bunkering facility that could be supplied by one or more of the projects under development.
Some LNG liquefaction plants have their own docks and storage tanks with loading arms that can load a ship or bunker vessel, which can later be used to fuel a customer vessel that never docks at the terminal. The JAX LNG plant in Jacksonville, Florida as well as the Tilbury LNG plant in Vancouver, Canada are among the small-scale plants that have that capability. Kinder Morgan’s 2.5-MMt/y Elba Island LNG in Savannah, Georgia is the only US export terminal that participates in the bunkering market. Shell is the sole offtaker at Elba Island where four LNG bunkering vessels chartered by the European oil major have loaded at the terminal to serve customers along the US East Coast, Bahamas and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Jacksonville, Florida-based Crowley owns the US-Jones Act compliant and 12,000-m3 LNG bunkering barge Progress, which is chartered by Shell and regularly loads at Elba Island LNG to serve ships along the East Coast.
FSUs have been used in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe to break down large cargoes for small-scale LNG distribution and support bunkering operations. A large-scale LNG carrier delivers volumes to an FSU which can be divided one bunkering operation at a time. But applying the same concept to the US Gulf Coast faces several challenges. At the top of the list is the US Jones Act, a maritime law that would require FSUs to be US-built, US-flagged and US crewed. Such offshore ship-to-ship LNG transfers would also require US Coast Guard approval and oversight. During tropical storms an anchored offshore FSU would need to be relocated to a safe location. As a result, the already-existing US LNG bunkering projects in Georgia and Florida favor waterfront liquefaction plants paired with Jones Act-compliant bunkering vessels.
This excerpt is taken from Poten’s LNG World Markets. Complete the form below to learn more or request a trial.