Kenai Peninsula News

The Biden administration on Thursday approved exports of liquefied natural gas from the Alaska LNG project, a document showed, as the United States competes with Russia to ship natural gas from the Arctic to Asia.The Department of Energy approved Alaska Gasline Development Corp's (AGDC) project to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement.Backers of the roughly $39 billion project expect it to be operational by 2030 if it gets all the required permits.

Domestic ferries adjust their business models to met regulatory pressures and exceed environmental standards with an eye towards improved service. And, not a minute too soon. In North America, stalwarts in the ferry business continue to shorten journey times compared to surface alternatives, while at the same time, bring accessibility to barrier and coastal islands that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Established stakeholders continually fine-tune their operations in a…

The State of Alaska has finalized a deal with TransCanada to buy out the pipeline company's share in the proposed Alaska liquefied natural gas export project for nearly $65 million. Alaska has completed the buyout of TransCanada’s interest in the Alaska LNG project, a $65 million expense that gives Alaska the same stake in the $55 billion effort as ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips. Gov. Bill Walker hailed the move as “historic," calling the gas line project the best “get-well card” for a state facing a $3.5 billion deficit. Kenai Peninsula Borough Special Oil and Gas Assistant Larry Persily says the action doesn’t change the project schedule or cost, reports Radiokenai.

The Alaska LNG project marks another significant milestone with today’s announcement by the United States Department of Energy that it has conditionally authorized the Alaska LNG Project LLC to export liquefied natural gas to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. The application to export up to 20 million metric tons per year of liquefied natural gas from Alaska for a 30-year period was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy last July. Authorization to export to nations with existing free trade agreements with the U.S. was previously received in November 2014. Today’s announcement conditionally further expands the authorization to include non-Free Trade Agreement countries as well.

The Alaska LNG project marks another milestone with today’s announcement by the United States Department of Energy that it has conditionally authorized the Alaska LNG Project LLC to export liquefied natural gas to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. The application to export up to 20 million metric tons per year of liquefied natural gas from Alaska for a 30-year period was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy last July. Authorization to export to nations with existing free trade agreements with the U.S. was previously received in November 2014. Today’s announcement conditionally further expands the authorization to include non-Free Trade Agreement countries as well. “We are very pleased with the progress this represents,” said Steve Butt, Alaska LNG senior project manager.

In another important step forward for the Alaska LNG project, an application to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by EXXONMobil. The export application requests authorization to export up to 20 million metric tons per year of LNG for a period of 30 years to countries that have existing free trade agreements with the U.S., as well as to non-free trade agreement countries. “This is a significant milestone for the Alaska LNG project and demonstrates continued progress toward developing Alaska’s resources,” said Steve Butt, senior project manager. The Alaska LNG project would provide significant economic benefits to Alaskans including state revenues…

Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Vigor increasingly thinks big and builds big. The company’s new floating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the “next few years.” Foti, who is also chairman of the Shipbuilder’s Council of America, says he is, “striving for critical mass.

ExxonMobil , BP, ConocoPhillips and TransCanada have selected a site in the Nikiski area on the Kenai Peninsula as the lead site for the proposed Alaska LNG project’s natural gas liquefaction plant and terminal. The consortium states that more than 20 locations were evaluated based on conditions related to the environment, socioeconomics, cost, and other project and technical issues. “This is a step forward for the Alaska LNG project and shows continued progress toward building Alaska’s energy future,” said Steve Butt, senior project manager.

It is time for the global maritime industry to push development of Trans Arctic Shipping Routes (TASR) and port facilities along Alaska’s northern coast. Not only for shipping goods from the Pacific to Atlantic and vice versa, but specifically to facilitate development of specialized ports for LNG exports from Alaska to global markets. Alaska has a limited maritime community mostly in the south: Southeast Alaska is a maritime community; South Central, Valdez, The Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage much less so; Southwest Alaska and Aleutians have fishing fleets and the Western, North Slope coasts and, the Interior have only marginal connections to large scale maritime activities. Nearly all Alaska’s vast energy resources, LNG and coal, are on the North Slope.

Alaska’s newest passenger ferry announced its 2010 sailing schedule between the communities of Homer and Seldovia, located on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The M/V Kachemak Voyager will offer three round-trip sailings daily beginning on May 26, 2010. The vessel will depart from Seldovia at: 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and depart Homer at: 9:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. “The mission of the Seldovia Bay Ferry is to facilitate economic development opportunities in Seldovia.

Beginning May 26th, Alaska’s newest passenger ferry will commence service between the popular end-of-the-road destination of Homer and the secluded village of Seldovia, located on a roadless area of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. “Often when people hear the word ‘ferry’ they think basic transportation,” said Sarah Richardson, Director of Public Relations for the Seldovia Village Tribe, the owners of the new vessel. “Our service operates in spectacular Kachemak Bay, so we wanted to offer an experience that would be unique and memorable.

All American Marine, Inc. delivered another 83-ft hydrofoil-assisted aluminum catamaran for operation in Alaska. The recently launched Kachemak Voyager will operate in Kachemak Bay and provide passenger ferry service between the communities of Seldovia and Homer. Through a competitive bidding process, the Seldovia Village Tribe awarded a contract to All American Marine in September 2008 to build a sistership to the CIRI owned, M/V Aialik Voyager and M/V Orca Voyager, AAM previously built for servicing the Kenai Peninsula.

A 601-foot tanker that was refloated last week after it ran aground in Alaska is due in with escort to Port Angeles Harbor. The Seabulk Pride left Alaska's Kachemak Bay Feb. 8 after the Puget Sound captain of the port cleared it to sail down the coast first to Port Angeles, then to the Tesoro refinery dock in Anacortes to offload its cargo of heavy crude and gasoline. Then the seven-year-old, double-hulled tanker will sail to a dry dock in Victoria for repairs to two small cracks in its outer hull. The Seabulk Pride's first port of call in Washington state will be Port Angeles, where a joint Coast Guard and state Department of Ecology inspection team, along with an American Bureau of Shipping surveyor, will meet the ship.

Crowley has acquired Columbus Distributing Inc. (CDI), a fuel distribution business based in Anchorage, Alaska. The newly acquired company will be known as Columbus Distributing Inc., a Crowley company. Crowley's Dorine Tessier will join the CDI team as general manager reporting to Craig Tornga, vice president, Alaska Fuel Sales and Distribution. CDI has served Alaska since 1959, and was founded by Joe Columbus, Sr. CDI has two business segments, wholesale fuel distribution and retail card lock service stations. The company handles approximately 26 million gallons of fuel annually. CDI allows Crowley to further strengthen its Anchorage operations and expand geographically onto the Kenai Peninsula and into Fairbanks.

Secure Around Flotation Equipped (SAFE) Boat 256610 will be officially dedicated to use by United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Seward on May 17. The 10 a.m. ceremony at the Seward Boat Harbor south boat ramp in Alaska will includ music by the Air Force Band of the Pacific brass quintet and followed by orientation rides on the vessel and tours of the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Mustang. The 25-ft. vessel, formerly assigned to Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, was delivered in August 2002 to AUXSTA Seward. The SAFE boat, like its sister vessel SAFE Boat 256611 assigned to the Auxiliary in Whittier, will primarily serve in a 40-mile radius from Seward, supporting the Coast Guard in search and rescue. Both boats are owned by the U.S.

ConocoPhillips and Bechtel Corp. have agreed to renew their collaboration of pursuing worldwide liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. The collaboration will build upon the recent success of ConocoPhillips as a major owner and participant in the worldwide LNG industry, and Bechtel's recent awards in the engineering and construction of major projects in Trinidad and Egypt. "The ConocoPhillips-Bechtel collaboration continues our commitment to providing our LNG technology while leveraging our position as a pre-eminent participant in the LNG industry worldwide," said Rick Hernandez, ConocoPhillips' manager of worldwide LNG technology licensing.