LNG terminal investments drive demand for newbuild tugs in the Americas

Demand for LNG has soared worldwide along with natural gas production in North America – resulting in multi-train processing and export terminals opening.

From British Columbia, Canada, to the US Gulf Coast and Mexico, more LNG terminals have been built, commissioned and opened to supply liquefied energy fluids to European and Asian markets, and many more are coming.

There are plans to open a further two LNG terminals on Canada’s Pacific Coast, to join Shell-led LNG Canada’s Kitimat export terminal that opened this year, and plans are progressing to build Amigo LNG in the Gulf of California, Mexico for the Asian market.

In the US Gulf, Venture Global, Cheniere Energy, TotalEnergies, ConocoPhillips and Woodside Energy are among others investing in new LNG export terminals or more processing trains at existing sites, all detailed by sister publication LNG Shipping & Terminals Q4 2025.

If all these open this decade, more than 30 newbuild escort-class and terminal-support tugboats will be required in North America in the next three years. This is in addition to the tugs under construction for owners who have identified this prime market.

Gulf LNG Tugs, a joint venture between Moran Towing and Houston, Texas-headquartered Bay-Houston Towing and Suderman & Young Towing, has eight new tugs under construction by Sterling Shipyard and Master Boat Builders, with the first two – Bahia Gulf and Rio Gulf – delivered. 

Other owners have set their sights on this potentially lucrative market, and we expect additional shipyard contracts to be forthcoming in 2026 and beyond. These tugboats will need to comply with US Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emissions standards, with aftertreatment systems to minimise NOx in engine exhaust, and some will have diesel particulate filters.

LNG demand goes beyond North America. Throughout Latin America, there are plans to build onshore and offshore LNG export and import terminals, leading to a demand for tugboats to serve these markets.  

Projects for offshore LNG production and export are also underway in Africa and southeast Asia, providing owners with long-term contracts for support tugs, built to combine the best of coastal towage, offshore support and ship-handling at terminals.

Overall, LNG will play an increasingly important role in demand for newbuild escort-class, terminal-support and potentially offshore-ready tugs worldwide, particularly in North America. Owners should order now to guarantee shipyard slots.