TGE Marine Gas Engineering has announced that it has been awarded the contract for a 12,000-cubic meter LNG bunkering barge with U.S.-based Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

The contract includes the design and supply of the cargo handling system including two 6,000-cubic meter bilobe Type C tanks designed to transport LNG at -163°C. The cargo handling system will enable the barge to load LNG from a supply terminal and transfer to clients´ vessels using a ship-to-ship transfer system. During transit the cargo can be kept in its liquid state at ambient pressure through the use of a chiller unit.

The barge will be built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for U.S.-based owner Crowley and operate under a long-term charter with Shell North America LNG.

The 12,000-cubic meter barge will be the largest of its kind built in the United States so far and is expected to start operations along the U.S. East Coast in 2024.

Since its start up in 1980, TGE Marine, with its more than 100 employees based in Bonn and Shanghai has specialized in the engineering, procurement, supervision and commissioning of cargo handling and fuel gas systems for liquefied gases (LNG, LPG, LEG, CO2, N3, etc.).

According to TGE Marine, its design is based on extensive engineering experience within the small-scale LNG carrier, bunker vessel, FSRU and fuel gas system markets with more than 250 successfully delivered projects to a variety of shipowners and shipyards.