Seaside LNG relocates bunker vessel “Clean Jacksonville” to Galveston

Seaside LNG on Wednesday (8 November) said it has entered into a term bunkering agreement with Carnival Corporation & plc to fuel the first LNG propelled cruise ship to call Galveston, Texas its homeport, the Carnival Jubilee. 

Seaside said the deal marked a significant milestone for the firm and Carnival Corporation by working closely together to create an LNG supply chain in a new region of the United States.

Seaside’s barge Clean Jacksonville will move from Jacksonville, Florida to operate out of Galveston and serve the Texas Gulf Coast with its first LNG delivery to the Carnival Jubilee in December 2023. Through the assistance of the Port of Galveston, Seaside aligned all stakeholders to ensure the proper infrastructure is in place to begin the operation this winter.

Initially, the LNG supply will be trucked from inland locations and then loaded onto Seaside’s LNG barge. Seaside and Carnival Corporation will continue to work together to provide direct access to a marine facility for the most efficient long-term supply solution.

“LNG delivers immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions and is the best available market-ready fuel to help cut ship emissions now – so Carnival Corporation is investing in LNG-powered vessels as part of our ambition to achieve net-zero carbon ship operations by 2050,” said Tom Strang, Senior Vice President of Maritime Affairs, Carnival Corporation & plc. 

“We were the first to introduce LNG-powered cruise ships into the North American market, and we’ll be the first to introduce our LNG fleet to Galveston with the Carnival Jubilee. We appreciate Seaside for moving quickly to mobilize, find supply, and bring the parties together to create a new LNG supply chain to support our LNG bunkering needs.”

“The Seaside LNG team is excited to expand our LNG bunkering reach in the U.S. by linking a local supplier with Carnival Corporation through the use of our LNG barge fleet,” added Tim Casey, CEO of Seaside LNG. “We plan to continue building upon this position in the Texas Gulf Coast market by sending additional barges to the region in the future.”

Manifold Times previously reported Seaside LNG announcing the acquisition of LNG barge Clean Jacksonville from TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, LLC, a subsidiary of TOTE Group, LLC.

Seaside LNG’s maritime transportation company, Polaris New Energy, has contracted to continue fuelling TOTE’s Marlin Class LNG-powered container ships and other commercial customers with its fleet of LNG bunker barges. 

In December 2022, The Clean Jacksonville reached a significant milestone having successfully completed her 300th bunkering at the Port of Jacksonville.

Related: Seaside LNG acquires LNG bunker barge “Clean Jacksonville” from TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico
Related: North America’s first LNG bunker barge “Clean Jacksonville” completes 300th bunkering op
Related: The first North America LNG bunkering barge has been delivered

Photo credit: Seaside LNG
Published: 9 November, 2023