Port Canaveral offers cruise LNG bunkering

The Florida cruise port has taken delivery of the 324ft long Q-LNG 4000 ATB, constructed in cooperation with LNG fuel supplier Shell Trading Company and Q-LNG Transport. Nicknamed the ‘Q4K’, the barge will notably bunker LNG to Carnival Cruise Line’s LNG-powered Mardi Gras, which will homeport at Port Canaveral beginning this year.

“This project has been four years from concept to reality and we are excited to welcome the Q-LNG 4000 to fuel the next generation of cruise ships,” stated Capt. John Murray, CEO of Port Canaveral. “We have been working closely with our cruise partners, all the federal and state regulatory agencies, and industry leaders to promote this industry initiative.”

4,000cbm capacity

The barge will load LNG from a fuel distribution facility on Elba Island, Georgia, then return to Georgia to refuel after each LNG bunkering operation in Port Canaveral. Q4K has a carrying capacity of up to 4,000 cubic meters of LNG, the equivalent of one million gallons of fuel. It will carry enough LNG to fuel two cruise ships, each for a seven-day itinerary.

Q4K was constructed at VT Halter Marine Inc. shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It is the first Jones Act compliant ATB built in the US that is specifically designed to conduct LNG cargo and bunker operations.

Bunkering operations will be supported by the port’s newly-acquired Marine Firefighting Rescue Vessel (MFRV), operated by Canaveral Fire Rescue.