Crowley Approved to Import Canada-sourced LNG

Crowley Maritime Corp. ’s petroleum distribution group has been granted approval by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Board – Canada (NEB) to import Canadian-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG) for supply, transportation and distribution throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

The renewable, two-year import and export licenses now allow the company to import up to 2.12 billion cubic feet (BCF) of LNG via truck in 10,700-gallon ISO tanks or in bulk via oceangoing vessels, Crowley said.

“This approval is an important step in expanding Crowley’s capability to provide LNG for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska markets, building on the company’s existing service offerings in the region,” said Crowley’s Matt Sievert, director of business development, LNG. “It’s exciting for many of our commercial and industrial customers because the availability of LNG has been very limited in the past, and it’s another opportunity for us to prove that we’re a total solutions provider in the energy and logistics industries.”

The company said it is now working to secure long-term, 25-year licenses with the DOE and NEB.  At the same time, Crowley is actively monitoring the development of Alaska LNG supply projects, which would be a closer source to the Alaska interior markets.

Similarly, in 2014, Crowley’s Carib Energy was granted a 20-year, small-scale U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) export license for the supply, transportation and distribution of LNG into Non-Free Trade Agreement (NTFA) countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The licensing permits Crowley to export 14.6 billion cubic feet (BCF) 0.04bcf/d of LNG – roughly the equivalent of 480,000 gallons – per day via 10,700-gallon ISO tanks to these regions.