US Hopes to Make Bigger Splash in Rapidly Evolving LNG Bunkering Market

摘要

The door to the global LNG bunkering industry is wide open,but so far US companies are entering at a very slow pace.Last week,Zion Market Research published a report showing that in 2017 the global LNG bunkering market was valued at $397.7 million;it is now expected to be worth $12 billion by 2024.Little of that exponential growth is expected in North America,but the industry is hoping to change that.There are currently just two LNG bunkering sites in the US-Port Fourchon in Louisiana and the Port of Jacksonville in Florida-but Center for LNG spokeswoman Daphne Magnuson told Energy Intelligence that “there's a lot of room for expansion in the United States thanks to our comparatively low natural gas production costs and huge supply.” The Zion report said the sprint to open up LNG bunkering facilities is aimed at cutting greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions and taking advantage of cheap and abundant gas supplies.It also helps the shipping industry meet new International Maritime Organization(IMO)rules about offshore pollution that go into effect in January 2020(NGW May 13'19).