Argent Marine Operations (AMO) has been contracted by Alaska Intrastate Gas Company (AIG) to design, develop, construct and operate barges to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to the Alaska panhandle, Gulf of Alaska and Kodiak region. The barges will be specially designed by AMO for the demanding conditions of the Canada to Alaska trade. According to Jay Gottlieb of Argent Marine Companies, of which AMO is a unit, "Because of the increasing availability of LNG on a world-wide basis, the development of smaller scale secondary markets for importation of LNG is becoming more feasible.