Published by Todd Bush on May 19, 2025
Galveston LNG Bunker Port, as shown in this handout rendering, will be located on the Texas City Ship Channel in the Texas City industrial area. The small-scale LNG production facility will supply LNG by fuel barge to the rapidly expanding fleet of LNG-fuelled vessels in the greater Houston-Galveston region. Libra Group/Handout via REUTERS
LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - A joint venture project developing the first marine fuel facility for liquefied natural gas in the U.S. Gulf Coast has secured final permits, and construction is expected to begin later this year, executives involved said on Monday.
The global shipping industry has been looking for fuel solutions to cut carbon emissions, with LNG seen as a cleaner alternative.
Model of LNG tanker is seen in this illustration taken May 19, 2022.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to expand LNG exports to help reduce Europe's dependency on Russian gas after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
U.S. LNG can be used as a marine fuel in U.S. ports and surrounding waters without export licences needed, which is emerging as a separate market that the project is looking to capitalise on.
The facility is located on the Texas City Ship Channel and the Galveston LNG Bunker Port (GLBP) company will supply LNG by fuel barge to the expanding fleet of LNG-fuelled vessels in the greater Houston-Galveston region, GLBP said.
GLBP is a joint venture between Houston-based Pilot LNG and Seapath, a subsidiary of global business group Libra Group.
The total project's overall cost is estimated in the region of at least \$300 million, Seapath said.
The project received the final authorisations from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Initial bunker deliveries are scheduled for the second half of 2027, Seapath said.
Seapath's president Josh Lubarsky added in a statement: "After several years of challenging and complex work ... we are now comfortably ahead in the marketplace to be the first dedicated LNG marine fuels supplier in the U.S. Gulf."
"We have made a significant financial commitment to this project and, over the course of the last few years, have positioned GLBP to be the foremost clean fuel supply hub in the Galveston Bay/Gulf region."
The first phase of production at the 140-acre greenfield development will target 360,000 gallons per day (gpd), which will come online within approximately two years, with the second phase for a full production of 720,000 gpd, approximately eight to 12 months thereafter, Seapath said.
The GLBP project is the second dedicated LNG bunkering facility in the U.S. after Florida-headquartered joint venture JAX LNG, which operates a 360,000 gpd plant.
GLBP will also support Port Houston — the largest port for waterborne tonnage in the U.S., which has $906 billion in national economic value.
Libra Group, which has more than 50 years of maritime experience, also owns Lomar Shipping, which operates a fleet of more than 40 vessels.
Libra's other maritime subsidiary, Americraft Marine, owns and operates a Jones Act shipyard in Florida — one of the few in the U.S. that is building crew transfer vessels to service the growing offshore wind industry, as well as tugboats and barges.
>> In Other News: EQNR's North Sea Wells Indicate Strong Potential for Carbon Storage
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.
Inside This Issue 🔌 BP's Indiana Exit Is Not the Endgame for Clean Hydrogen ☀️ Cadiz Signs Second MOU for Hydrogen - Solar Development at Cadiz Ranch 🏗️ Heidelberg Materials Inaugurates Brevik CCS...
Inside This Issue 🧩 Who Gets Left Behind? Inside the Senate Plan Reshaping America's Clean Energy Future 🌿 TMD Energy Limited Enters into Strategic Memorandum of Agreement to Advance Green Bioener...
Inside This Issue 🛑 BP Pauses Project to Pipe, Store Carbon Emissions Underground in Indiana Indefinitely 🤝 Deep Sky Announces Multi-Year Offtake Agreement with Rubicon Carbon 🤖 Automating Hydroge...
Industry-first framework addresses critical gaps in carbon capture verification, enabling safer, more bankable projects DNV has released a new service specification (DNV-SE-0696) for the verificat...
Cadiz Signs Second MOU for Hydrogen - Solar Development at Cadiz Ranch
Clean energy and digital infrastructure projects at Cadiz expected to generate $7-$10 million per year in lease revenue and water supply sales, in addition to supporting sustainable water and farmi...
Expro Wins Well Test Contract for Major UK CCS Project
Latest contract extends Expro’s decade-plus support of the UK Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry ABERDEEN, Scotland--Energy services provider, Expro (NYSE: XPRO), has secured a key contract...
MAX Power Team Identifies Rare Basement Source Rocks as Potential Natural Hydrogen Source
Multi-Well Drill Program Planned for Target-Rich Areas MAX Power Acquires Exploration Permits Covering 1.3 Million Acres Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 18, 2025) - MAX Power M...
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.