North American LNG projects face setbacks; SIGTTO issues LCO2 carriage guide

Carbon dioxide cargo on gas carriers

Gas organisation Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) and publisher Witherby Seamanship have issued a high-level guide for the gas shipping industry and the emerging carriage of liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2).

Current liquefied gas regulations and guidelines are reviewed with suggestions on what may be considered for LCO2 shipping along with design and operational considerations in the context of LCO2’s unique properties.

The Carbon Dioxide Cargo on Gas Carriers is available, free, here.

OLT terminal operations will be suspended from April to October 2024

OLT Offshore LNG Toscana has announced the FSRU Toscana terminal will undergo an extraordinary maintenance at the shipyard, resulting in a shutdown of the plant, scheduled from the beginning of April to the end of October 2024.

Specifically, as a result of ongoing technical monitoring activities, the company decided to carry out an intervention aimed at replacing the bearing of the anchoring system of the terminal, a system designed and built to ensure the rotation of the terminal around the geostationary turret permanently anchored to the seabed.

Sauer Compressors appoints two new managing directors

Sauer Compressors Group has appointed Nicole Fässler as chief financial officer and Mladen Milcinovic as chief operating officer.

A business economist, Ms Fässler is responsible for managing finance, HR and IT and Mr Milcinovic will oversee the operations area.

New Fortress in US Jones Act ruling

New Fortress Energy (NFE) has announced US Customs and Border Protection has issued a ruling confirming that transporting LNG produced at the company’s FLNG facility located offshore Altamira, Mexico by non-US qualified vessels would not violate the Jones Act.

As a result of this ruling, NFE is now able to sell and deliver LNG produced at its FLNG facility located offshore Altamira, Mexico to US locations, including Puerto Rico, which is a key downstream market for NFE.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this ruling for our FLNG facility since it not only supports one of the company’s largest projects but also supports the people of Puerto Rico,” said New Fortress Energy chief executive Wes Edens.

Will Canada pause LNG export projects, too?

Following the US government’s announcement to pause approvals for LNG export projects, similar action may take place north of the border.

The US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced the pause to give time for officials to update the way the Energy Department analyses LNG proposals to "avoid export authorisations that diminish our domestic energy availability, weaken our security or undermine our economy.”

Some observers see the pause as a way of garnering kudos with younger voters concerned about the environmental impact, and others refer to the time taken to develop LNG projects renders the pause insignificant.

Canada has several LNG projects that have concerned environmentalists, and the US action may provide a lever in discussions with politicians.