CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Port of Corpus Christi has announced a new partnership that they say will reduce emissions in the Coastal Bend.
The POCC and Stabilis Solutions have agreed to a memorandum of understanding for Stabilis to bring liquified natural gas in to fuel vessels. The goal is to cut down on the use of diesel fuel. The use of LNG will cut down on carbon emissions.
Sean Strawbridge, CEO of POCC, said vessels across the world are increasingly being manufactured to use LNG. Bringing that fuel source in will attract new businesses to use Corpus Christi, he said.
“We have committed to going net zero by a certain time frame and bringing in LNG-powered vessels and serving those vessels with a company, such as Stabilis, is just one more step in our process of decarbonization," he said.
The fueling area is to be located on the south side of the inner harbor. Strawbridge said if needed today, Stabilis could be ready to go, to drive in trucks of LNG and use a stationary area to fuel vessels.
No infrastructure is needed to start, but Strawbridge said communication is ongoing with Stabilis and Cheniere Energy on what is needed for long-term solutions.
“Ultimately you want to fuel vessels while they’re at their docks," said Strawbridge. "So, there will be barges that will hold liquefied natural gas that will be able to go from dock to dock and fuel those LNG-powered vessels.”
Because this is a memorandum of understanding, Strawbridge said there’s no definitive contract.
It is an agreement between POCC and Stabilis, that POCC provides the location and Stabilis will bring in infrastructure, expertise and LNG. Strawbridge said Stabilis will enter into contracts with the vessel owners.
There is no end date as the agreement is used to build up new business for the POCC. Strawbridge said definitive contracts will come later.
“The port is really trying to be a catalyst for this atmospheric decarbonization initiatives and air quality improvements," he said. "And that’s really what this is. There is no contract today between Stabilis and the Port of Corpus Christi. This is what’s called a memorandum of understanding.”
To read about the environmental impact of this agreement, you can read Greg Chandler’s report here.
