Global shipping and sustainable energy logistics company Crowley is proceeding with plans to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering services on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal.

In the announcement, Crowley said this is under the "first permit issued" by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) for the provision of such services. 

Crowley noted that its energy group will operate the innovative service to manage the ship-to-ship LNG transfer services.

With a potential start date in 2024, Crowley is preparing to provide bunkering and related port solutions to safely deliver lower-emission LNG to vessels for fuel and cryogenic tank cooldown services at the canal.  

Most practical alternative fuel for shipping

"LNG is widely accepted as the most practical transitional alternative fuel for maritime shipping, and to stay ahead of the rapid deployment of LNG-powered ships across the global market, Crowley is strategically growing its LNG bunkering operations across North and Central America," said James Fowler, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Shipping.

"The Panama Canal will become a key location for vessels to take on LNG, and Crowley’s future Panamanian bunkering service will give international ship owners the confidence to continue to adopt LNG across their fleets," he added.

A leader in US LNG supply chain and engineering services, the Panama Canal location expands Crowley's LNG solutions.

Crowley received its first small-scale LNG export license from the US Department of Energy for LNG transportation from the US into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Non-Free Trade (NFTA) countries in 2014.

Crowley's services expanded in 2022 with the opening of an LNG truck-loading terminal in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico.

A 12,000 m3 (3.17 million gallons) LNG bunker barge, the largest in the U.S, is under construction with a long-term charter agreement with Shell to begin service in 2024 for ships on the U.S. East Coast. 

Crowley noted that it has served Central America, including Panama, for more than 60 years with maritime and logistics services.