Seaside LNG to bunker Carnival cruise vessel in Galveston

Seaside LNG and cruise ship operator Carnival said November 8 they had entered into a long-term bunkering agreement to fuel the Carnival Jubilee in its home port of Galveston, Texas.

Seaside called the agreement, the first to provide for LNG bunkering in the Port of Galveston, a “significant milestone” for it and Carnival as they work to create an LNG supply chain in a new region of the US.

Seaside’s LNG barge, the Clean Jacksonville, will move from Jacksonville, Florida to operate out of Galveston to serve the Texas Gulf Coast. The first bunkering operation of the Carnival Jubilee is expected in December.

“The Seaside LNG team is excited to expand our LNG bunkering reach in the US by linking a local supplier with Carnival through the use of our LNG barge fleet,” Seaside LNG CEO Tim Casey said. “We plan to continue building upon this position in the Texas Gulf Coast market by sending additional barges to the region in the future.”

“We were the first to introduce LNG-powered cruise ships into the North American market, and we’ll be the first to introduce our LNG fleet to Galveston with the Carnival Jubilee,” said Tom Strange, senior vice president of maritime affairs at Carnival.

Initial supplies of LNG will be trucked from inland locations and then loaded onto the Clean Jacksonville. Seaside and Carnival will work to provide direct access to a marine LNG facility for the most efficient long-term supply solution, they said.