MarAd Licenses First Offshore LNG Deepwater Port

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) issued a license to Delfin LNC LLC on March 21 to own, construct, operate and eventually decommission a deepwater port to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.

This deepwater port will be the first offshore LNG export project in the United States, according to the Maritime Administration.

The Delfin LNG deepwater port will transport LNG to the global market from the United States’ federal waters, approximately 37.4 to 70.8 nautical miles off the coast of Cameron Parish, La. MarAd and the U.S. Coast Guard worked with about 15 cooperating federal agencies along with the states of Texas and Louisiana to review Delfin LNG’s application, according to MarAd. These agencies submitted recommendations for environmental and other license conditions.

The Delfin LNG deepwater port license is being issued in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy,” which was signed January 20.