- Pilot announced it has awarded the FEED contract for the floating LNG unit at its proposed
Galveston LNG Bunker Port to Wison Offshore & Marine.
- Wison brings invaluable FLNG expertise, including a track record of delivering successful
floating solutions across the LNG value chain in projects around the world.
- The award further solidifies the partnership between the two parties as they work
together to bring cleaner energy infrastructure with what will be the region’s first
dedicated LNG bunker terminal to one of the US’ largest port complexes and 4th largest cruise port.
- The announcement comes on the heels of the company receiving a Letter of Interest from the US EXIM to provide development financing, as well as the execution of an HOA for the
provision of LNG marine fuel with GAC Bunker Fuels in late 2020.
Pilot LNG, LLC (Pilot), developer of the Galveston LNG Bunker
Port (GLBP) project, announced today that it has awarded the Front-End Engineering & Design
(FEED) contract for the project’s floating LNG unit to Wison Offshore & Marine (Wison). The
award further solidifies the growing partnership between the two companies first made public
in July 2020. In addition to the FEED award, Pilot disclosed that Wison will also become a minority
equity shareholder in Pilot, though further details are not publicly available at this time.
“It was imperative that the company selected to carry out the FEED works for the Galveston LNG
Bunker Port have an excellent track record of successfully engineering and executing floating LNG
projects,” said Pilot Chief Executive, Jonathan Cook. “Our selection of Wison is in recognition of their unparalleled expertise and commitment to delivering safe, highly competitive floating LNG
projects and we are thrilled to welcome Wison as a partner and shareholder in Pilot.”
Together, Pilot expects to be able to deliver a highly competitive and environmentally responsible
project that will not only be more economical than traditional marine fuels for the marine
industry, but will also help them dramatically reduce their emissions and comply with IMO 2020
regulations. To further reduce its own impacts, Pilot has chosen to utilize all electric drive
turbines powered by electricity sourced 100% from Texas renewables, eliminating virtually all
operating emissions related to the facility and likely making the GLBP project one of the greenest
facilities of its type anywhere in the world.
“Wison is delighted to grow our relationship with Pilot and we look forward to leveraging our
significant experience to provide the greatest value to Pilot and its customers,” said Vivian Li, head of Wison Offshore & Marine, North America. “By utilizing floating technologies, we are able to provide a solution that can be delivered with unique advantages not available to traditional land-based facilities, as well as significantly reducing the infrastructure’s footprint and its associated impacts,” Li added.
The GLBP project would provide one of the US’slargest industrial port complexes, comprising the ports of Houston, Galveston, and Texas City, with the infrastructure needed to supply LNG to the
growing global LNG bunker market. LNG as a marine fuel has been demonstrated to significantly reduce vessel emissions, including eliminating virtually all particulate matter and SOx emissions
as well as achieving approximately 80-90% NOx emission reductions compared to traditional marine fuels. As company’s look for ways to reduce their emissions and meet tightening global maritime standards, LNG is increasingly becoming the fuel of choice.
While LNG bunkering infrastructure has been rapidly developing overseas and in certain parts of
the US, Pilot’s Galveston LNG Bunker Port would be the first of its kind for the region. Pilot
anticipates taking a Final Investment Decision on the GLBP project in the first half of 2022 and
operations beginning in the first half of 2025.
