LNG Bunker Barge Delivers Progress in the Shipping Industry
Crowley Progress is the largest USA-built and flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge. It offers a lower emission alternative fuel compared to marine diesel fuel, supporting shipping customers on their decarbonization journey while continuing to deliver the products upon which Americans rely.
In his spare time, Dean Sahr works on a sailboat he plans to cruise on after retirement. He takes on projects, even on his off days, that allow him to put his expertise in shipping mechanical concepts and design to work.
Growing up in the waters off the Virginia coast, in a shipyard town, Dean learned to fix boats for his family, a pastime that eventually propelled him into a career as a professional ship builder. As the director of new construction for Crowley Maritime Corporation (“Crowley”), the ships he and his team design are crisscrossing waterways across the US, a testament to the expertise he’s developed over the 40 years he’s been in the industry, from a marine diesel mechanic to working in new marine technology.
Dean SahrI've been extremely lucky that I've been able to be a part of the full spectrum of fuel usage in the shipping sector - switching from heavy fuel operations into lighter fuels and resource treatment, and now into LNG.
Meet Progress
One of Dean’s proudest achievements is seeing Progress going into service – from conception to deployment. Progress is essentially a mobile filling station that glides alongside a customer vessel, supplying it with LNG fuel without interrupting operations; an option onshore bunkering does not offer. Providing bunker fuel to customer vessels during cargo operations keeps the cycle of cargo moving without stoppage. Progress can carry more than 3 million gallons of LNG. It is a 24-hour operation, with the barge on standby whenever a ship needs fuel.
Collaborating on a lower-carbon future
LNG is an alternative marine fuel that can emit less greenhouse gas emissions by up to 23% compared with conventional marine fuel.* Although LNG has an important role to play in the maritime industry’s transition to a net-zero emissions future, progress doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Progress was built out of a large collaborative effort between Shell**, Crowley’s engineering services division, and Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, and was specially fitted to deliver LNG to ships with multiple kinds of onboard bunker containment systems.
Shell has the largest LNG bunkering network in the world. Progress refuels LNG ships at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, the third busiest container gateway in the USA, and is chartered to Shell for refueling LNG vessels. Progress is LNG bunkering technology innovation on display. For Dean, he views designing, building, and constructing vessels like a symphony. It takes several parts working together in unison, and he’s already looking forward to building his next vessel.
Dean SahrI love seeing Progress in action. Every time I walk up to the dock, I’m extremely proud of what we produced and how we service customers. The decarbonization of the marine industry is really important, and Progress is part of that effort.
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*Results from Sphera life cycle emission study indicate that LNG can emit less CO2e emissions by up to 23% on a well-to-wake basis compared to very low sulphur fuel oil depending on engine type. Source: O. Schuller, S. Kupferschmid, J. Hengstler and S. Whitehouse, “2nd Life Cycle GHG Emission Study on the Use of LNG as Marine Fuel,” Sphera, 2021.
**The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this content “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this content refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
