Current/Planned Deepwater Ports
To date, seventeen Deepwater Port Act (DWPA) applications have been filed for approval. Sixteen applications were filed for licenses to import liquefied natural gas (LNG); one application was filed for a license to import liquefied petroleum gas. (LPG)
Seven applications have been approved. (Of the seven applications that have been approved, six licenses have been issued; one license is currently pending.)
Four applications have been withdrawn or closed, and six applications are currently under review.
License Issued
Gulf Gateway Energy Bridge (Excelerate Energy) - Gulf Gateway Energy Bridge, LLC (Gulf Gateway), formerly El Paso Energy Bridge Gulf of Mexico, LLC, is now owned by Excelerate Energy Limited Partnership. A DWPA application was filed on December 20, 2002. The site is located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana and consists of a Submerged Turret Loading (STL) system that is comprised of a submerged turret buoy; chains, lines and anchors; a flexible riser; and a subsea manifold. The ROD was issued on December 31, 2003, and the license was issued on May 26, 2004. This was the second license issued under the DWPA since the law was amended in 2002.
Offshore construction of Gulf Gateway was completed in February 2005 at a cost of approximately 70 million dollars. The first cargo delivery was made on March 17, 2005, from the world's first liquefied natural gas re-gasification vessel, EBRV Excelsior. On March 20, 2005, Gulf Gateway successfully commenced operations. Gulf Gateway has a base-load capacity of 500 million cubic feet per day with a peak capacity of 690 million cubic feet per day.
The EBRV Excellence delivered LNG to Gulf Gateway on May 11, 2007.
www.excelerateenergy.com/energybridge.html
DWP License (PDF, 1,450 KB)
Search Docket #14294
Gulf Landing (U.S. Gas & Oil, LLC) - Gulf Landing, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell U.S. Gas & Oil, LLC, filed an application on November 3, 2003. The proposed facility is a GBS to be located thirty-eight miles offshore of Louisiana.
The Record of Decision (ROD) was issued on February 16, 2005 and the license issued on April 29, 2005. The Fifth Circuit court upheld the Maritime Administration's decision to issue a license to Gulf Landing.
In March of 2007, Gulf Landing announced its intent to indefinitely defer this project.
www.shell-usgp.com/gulflandinginfo.asp
Record of Decision (PDF, 8,800 KB)
Search Docket #16860
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) (Marathon Domestic LLC) - The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) is the only DWP petroleum terminal in existence today. LOOP is located 16 miles southeast of Port Fourchon in the Gulf of Mexico. LOOP was built by a group of major oil and pipeline companies, and has been operational since 1981. It serves as an unloading and distribution port for incoming supertankers to the Gulf region. The petroleum is piped north to Lafourche Parish, where it is stored and piped to markets throughout the country. LOOP has announced plans to expand its port storage capacity and construct a new pipeline.
www.loopllc.com/f1.cfm?n=1
Search Docket #6981
Related Document: DWP License (LOOP) (PDF, 3014 KB)
Main Pass Energy Hub (FreeportMcMoRan) - Main Pass Energy Hub filed an incomplete application on February 27, 2004. After the submission of supplemental information, the application was deemed complete via a Federal Register Notice on June 22, 2004. The proposed facility is located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.
On May 5, 2006, the Governor of Louisiana used the adjacent coastal state authority to veto the project based on proposed use of the open-loop regasification system.
On May 31, 2006, the applicant resubmitted an amended application, proposing the use of a closed-loop regasification system. The revised application was demeed complete and the supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) on the proposed change was circulated for public comment.
A favorable Record of Decision was issued on January 3, 2007.
www.mcmoran.com/mpeh/mpeh.htm
Record of Decision (PDF, 2980 KB)
Search Docket #17696
Related Document: Main Pass Record of Decision (PDF, 3060 KB)
Neptune LNG (Suez LNG N.A.) - Neptune LNG LLC filed an application on February 15, 2005 for an LNG facility to be located off Massachusetts, 10 miles south of Gloucester and 22 miles Northeast of Boston.
On January 31, 2007, the Maritime Administrator signed the favorable Record of Decision (ROD) for the Neptune project. The favorable ROD was contingent upon the applicant's commitment to employ U.S. mariners aboard its vessels servicing the Neptune facility.
On March 26, 2007, the Maritime Administration issued a Deepwater Port License to SUEZ LNG to build, own, and operate a LNG receiving and regasification facility.
www.suezenergyna.com/ourcompanies/lngna-neptune.shtml
Record of Decision (PDF, 2979 KB)
Search Docket #22611
Related Document: Neptune Record of Decision (PDF, 2860 KB)
Northeast Gateway (Excelerate) - Excelerate Energy filed an application for a Deepwater Port terminal in the Bay of Massachusetts on June 13, 2005. The proposed site will be located offshore in Massachusetts Bay, approximately 13 miles south-southeast of the city of Gloucester, MA in federal waters approximately 270 feet in depth.
On Feburary 7, 2007, The Maritime Administrator signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Northeast Gateway deepwater port project. The favorable decision was contigent upon the applicant's commitment to employ U.S. mariners aboard its vessels servicing the Northeast Gateway LNG facility.
On May 14, 2007, Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton signed the license for Excelerate to own, operate and construct the Northeast Gateway Deepwater Port. Construction on the deepwater port commenced on May 27, 2007.
www.excelerateenergy.com/northeast.html
Record of Decision (PDF, 3030 KB)
Search Docket #22219
Related Document: Northeast Gateway Record of Decision (PDF, 3109 KB)
Port Pelican (Port Pelican, LLC) - Port Pelican, LLC (Port Pelican), an affiliate of ChevronTexaco Corporation, submitted an application for a DWP license on November 25, 2002 to construct a LNG Gravity Based Structure (GBS) facility. Port Pelican's proposed site is located off the coast of Louisiana. The Port Pelican Deepwater Port license was issued on January 20, 2004. The Port Pelican license was the first DWP license issued in over 25 years.
On July 11, 2005, Port Pelican LLC provided a letter to MARAD and USCG that it formally announced plans to defer further environmental studies for the construction site thereby placing the project on hold indefinitely. On October 4, 2005, a Notice of Cancellation was published in the Federal Register.
Although the Port Pelican project remains on hold indefinitely, under the DWP Act, Port Pelican must continue to remain current on their annual payments of the fair market rental value rates for the proposed deepwater port site.
DWP License (PDF, 1,300 KB)
Search Docket #14134
Under Review
Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal (TORP L.P.) - TORP Technology (Bienville LNG) filed an application on January 12, 2006 for a LNG facility to be located in the Gulf of Mexico, 63 miles south of Mobile Point, AL.
The proposed facility will consist of a HiLoad Unit, a floating structure connecting directly to the LNG carrier hull. The Maritime Administration and the USCG have stopped the clock on three separate occasions (most recently on August 21, 2007) after determining that additional information is needed to effectively process the application.
www.torplng.com/sub.php?page=Bienville%20Offshore%20Energy%20Terminal
Search Docket #24644
Calypso LNG (Suez LNG N.A.) - Calypso LNG LLC filed an application on March 2, 2006, for an LNG facility 12 miles off the coast of Port Everglades, FL. However, the application was deemed incomplete and a revised application was submitted. On October 13, 2006, the Maritime Administration and the USCG deemed the application complete. Public scoping meetings were held on November 27-28, 2007.
www.suezenergyna.com/ourcompanies/lngna-calypso.shtml
Search Docket #26009
Clearwater Port (Formerly Crystal Energy) - Clearwater Port filed an application on January 28, 2004, for an LNG facility 12.6 miles off the coast of Ventura County, California. The proposed facility will utilize an existing off-shore oil drilling platform and convert it into an LNG receiving terminal. Public scoping meetings were held in Oxnard, CA & Santa Clarita, CA, on October 3 and October 4, 2007, respectively, with the public comment period ending on October 18, 2007. On October 23, 2007, a "Stop Clock" letter was issued, suspending regulatory timeline for applicants to gather data essential to the project.
www.clearwaterport.com
Search Docket #TBD
Oceanway Secure Energy (Woodside Natural Gas, Inc) - Oceanway Secure Energy filed an application with the Maritime Administration for a license under the Deepwater Port Act, to build, own and operate a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility on August 18, 2006. Woodside's proposed OceanWay facility will be located approximately 28 miles southwest of Los Angeles, California and will convert the liquefied gas to natural gas utilizing a ship to ship (STS) transfer for injection into Southern California's existing onshore pipeline system. The process will use ambient air as the method of regasification and will not use either open loop vaporization or closed loop vaporization. The connection to the pipeline system will take place offshore via submerged buoys located 100 feet below the water surface. The maximum send-out capacity for the Oceanway project is anticipated to be 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
On July 30, 2007, Woodside and the Maritime Administration announced an agreement to register two vessels under the U.S. Flag and to employ American officers and crews in the operation of the proposed Oceanway facility.
A public scoping meeting was held in Los Angeles on September 26, 2007. The Public comment period was extended period until October 31, 2007 due to public interest & delays due to the transition from the Department of Transportation to the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS).
www.oceanwaysecureenergy.com/
Search Docket #26844
Port Dolphin (Port Dolphin LLC) - On March 29, 2007, Port Dolphin Energy LLC filed an application with the Maritime Administration to construct a deepwater port located in federal waters approximately 28 miles offshore of the Tampa Bay area of Florida. The applicant is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Höegh LNG.
The proposed port will consist of two mooring areas centered on two Submerged Turret Loading (STL) Buoys similar to those used in the Gulf Gateway deepwater port and planned for the Northeast Gateway, Neptune and Calypso projects.
A letter of completeness was issued to the applicant on June 15, 2007. A Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in the Federal Register on June 15, 2007 and the public meeting took place in Palmetto, FL on July 25, 2007.
On August 10, 2007, a "Stop Clock" letter was issued to Hoegh for more information for the proposed Port Dolphin deepwater port.
The statutory "clock" was restarted on February 6, 2008, and the applicant hosted an open house and public meeting on May 6, 2008, in Palmetto, FL.
Search Docket #28532
Safe Harbor Energy (Atlantic Sea Island Group LLC (ASIG)) - The Atlantic Sea Island Group LLC (ASIG), filed an application with the United States Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration on September 13, 2006, for a license under the Deepwater Port Act, to build, own and operate a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) receiving, storage and regasification deepwater port facility.
The deepwater port, Safe Harbor Energy (Safe Harbor), will consist of three components: an island constructed in Federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf approximately 13.5 miles south of the city of Long Beach, New York, and 23 miles southeast of the New York Harbor, a LNG receiving, storage, and regasification terminal, and a subsea pipeline that will extend from the Safe Harbor Island and interconnect with the onshore KeySpan pipeline. Once constructed and fully operational, the Safe Harbor facility will be capable of delivering up to two (2) billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to the New York metropolitan region. The ambient air vaporization process will be used to convert the LNG into natural gas using the closed-loop regasification system.
The Maritime Adminstration and USCG sent a letter of incompleteness to the applicant citing insufficient data and other data gaps.
On September 6, 2007, New Jersey requested that the state be designated an Adjacent Coastal State. On October 24, 2007, a "Stop Clock" letter was issued, suspending the regulatory timeline to address need for additional information. New Jersey's request was to be designated an Adjacent Coastal State was granted on November 2, 2007.
www.safeharborenergy.com/
Closed Applications
Beacon Port (ConocoPhillips) - Beacon Port, LLC filed an application on January 19, 2005. The application received was initially deemed incomplete, but was later determined to be complete on May 10, 2005. The proposed LNG facility will consist of two Gravity Based Structures (GBS) in the Gulf of Mexico, 29 miles southeast and 56 miles southwest of Johnson's Bayou, LA.
On November 3, 2006 the applicant informed MARAD and the Coast Guard
that they were withdrawing the Beacon Port LLC Liquefied Natural Gas
Deepwater Port License application.
In their withdrawal notification, the applicant indicated that they may determine at some future date to resubmit the Beacon Port license application (either modified or a new application for this location). In that event, the Environmental Impact Statement may be used as the basis for any additional or updated NEPA documentation that would be necessary should the application be resubmitted. For that reason, comments relating to the FEIS are still being solicited.
www.beaconport.net/
Search Docket #21232
Compass Port (ConocoPhillips) - Compass Port, LLC filed a deepwater port application on March 29, 2004, which was deemed complete on May 20, 2004. The proposed GBS facility will be located off the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi. Scoping meetings were held in Alabama and Mississippi on July 12 - 14, 2004.
On June 8, 2006, ConocoPhillips advised MARAD of its withdrawal of the Compass Port application.
www.compassportcleanenergy.com/
Search Docket #17659
Pearl Crossing (ExxonMobil) - Pearl Crossing filed an application on May 25, 2004, for a concrete GBS to be built in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 41 miles south of the Louisiana coast. The application was deemed complete on July 8, 2004, by Federal Register Notice of Application issued on July 21, 2004.
On October 19, 2005, ExxonMobil withdrew the Pearl Crossing's DWP license application and terminated the project. MARAD and USCG issued a Notice of Cancellation on December 8, 2005, stating that the applicant cancelled all actions related to processing of the Pearl Crossing LNG Terminal deepwater port license application.
Search Docket #18474
Denied Applications
Cabrillo Port (BHP Billiton LNG International) - Cabrillo Port (BHP Billiton LNG International) filed an application on September 3, 2003, for a proposed LNG GBS site located 14 miles off the coast of Ventura County, California. The initial application was determined to be complete on January 27, 2004.
By letter dated May 18, 2007, the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, indicated his disapproval of the project, citing concerns that the project as proposed would result in significant and unmitigated environmental impacts to air quality and marine life. Consequently, a Record of Decision to deny the project was issued on June 5, 2007.
www.cabrilloport.ene.com
Search Docket #16877