LNG Project focus on Security

According to SJnews, while BP awaits the Supreme Court ruling to decide the fate of the planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in NJ, more than 50 federal, state and local emergency officials toil over a plan to ensure the safe shipment of the liquid up the Delaware River. The transit management plan, to designate duties of local, state and federal officials for the safe shipment of 120 million gallons of LNG to the Logan facility each week, is required by the U.S. Coast Guard in order to begin construction of the plant. As it stands, the company is preparing a strong security system to guard against potential terrorist attacks or other attempts to breach security along the river. BP will employ tugboats with firefighting capabilities to escort each ship - carrying an estimated 40 million gallons of LNG - up portions of the river, according to BP personnel. Armed U.S. Coast Guard members will guide the ships through "sensitive" waterways, from the Delaware Bay to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, while local and state emergency personnel from Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey monitor the ships' movement from land, BP officials said. BP's Crown Landing project is the first to undergo a new LNG approval process put in place by the U.S. Coast Guard last year, according to BP officials. The first phase of the process includes approval of the safe shipment of LNG on the river, or the Waterways Security Assessment (WSA), approved by the Coast Guard last December. The second phase maps out shipment plan details, the Transit Management Plan (TMP). BP officials expect to establish a solid shipment plan - to identify the cost and scope of security needs - by late 2007. Source: SJNews.com