For the first time, a tanker sailing under the U.S. flag will transport liquefied natural gas from the mainland to Puerto Rico — an undertaking meant to give the territory greater fuel stability.
Florida-based Crowley announced an agreement Tuesday with Naturgy, a Spanish energy company, for the “regular delivery” of LNG sourced from the U.S. mainland to an operating power plant on Puerto Rico’s southern coast.
“LNG is an ample, reliable energy source available in the U.S. that provides a more resilient and lower-emission option as part of our nation’s energy portfolio for quickly serving the growing power needs of Puerto Rico,” said Tom Crowley, the CEO of Crowley, in a statement.
Crowley is the owner of American Energy, an LNG tanker capable of carrying about 130,000 cubic meters of the gas per voyage, the company said in a news release. The vessel will be crewed by U.S. mariners, Crowley also said, and will make the journey every two weeks.
