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VESSEL DESIGNIn early June, Federal Maritime Commissioner William P. Doyle told listeners at an LNG Bunkering confer- ence in Vancouver, Canada that ?Lique ed Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering in North America is moving forward ? There is an abundant supply of natural gas in North Amer- ica. Utilizing natural gas as a marine fuel would help ship owners and operators comply with the MARPOL Annex VI requirements to reduce air pollution from ocean going vessels.? That much is true. It?s also true that there is any number of ways for vessel operators to get to the Promised Land. Nevertheless, LNG ? as a fuel ? has certainly stepped out into the lead on that mission. And, the race to design next generation bunker barges ? those carrying LNG for all those soon-to-come LNG powered vessels on the backlogs of U.S. shipyards ? is in full swing. In the thick of that race is the Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), whose EB-2000 LNG ATB Barge concept recently obtained approval in principle (AIP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Ac- cording to EBDG, the EB-2000 offers versatility in LNG transport and bunkering. The barge will be offered in both an optional spoon or ship-shaped bow combined with a (patent pending) ush trunk and foc?sle arrangement which provides proven offshore performance. Curt Leffers, EBDG Project Manager, told MarineNews in June, ?We are excited to obtain ABS approval in prin- cipal on our bunkering barge design. Our 2,000 cubic meter design is the basic platform that can be customized The Versatile ATB Enters the LNG Game EBDG?s LNG bunkering barge design receives ABS approvals as the maritime industry increasingly looks to LNG as a fuel of the future. By Joseph Keefe July 201436 MNMN July14 Layout 32-49.indd 36MN July14 Layout 32-49.indd 366/18/2014 3:40:49 PM6/18/2014 3:40:49 PM
