Two massive cryogenic storage tanks have been delivered and are being installed by Texas-based bulk LNG provider Eagle LNG Partners for Florida’s shipping company Crowley Maritime at a new shore-side LNG bunkering facility at the Port of Jacksonville’s (JAXPORT) Talleyrand Marine Terminal.

The LNG bunkering facility, expected to be operational in late summer 2017, is said to be among the first of its kind in the US and will fuel Crowley’s two new LNG-powered, combination container/Roll-on/Roll-off (ConRo) ships.

Eagle LNG’s Maxville natural gas liquefaction plant, which also is under construction, will supply LNG for the tanks.

The 260-ton tanks, which are 170 feet long – exceeding the width of an American football field – were manufactured by Chart Ferox in the Czech Republic.

Crowley’s logistics group managed the transport of the tanks, first via river barge to Hamburg, Germany, and then via a heavy-lift ship that sailed more than 4,000 nautical miles to arrive in Jacksonville on March 26 for offloading.

Each of the tanks can hold 1,000 cubic meters of LNG – a sufficient product to fuel Crowley’s two LNG-powered vessels within an eight-hour period.

Designed specifically for service between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico, the Commitment Class ConRos, El Coquí and Taíno, will use clean LNG as their primary fuel, providing reductions in emissions as compared to existing fossil fuels.

El Coquí, which was launched on March 20, is expected in service in the second half of 2017, and Taíno is expected to begin service in the first half of 2018.

The Commitment Class project by Crowley features a USD 550 million investment that includes the next generation ships as well as a new 900-foot pier, three new specialized cranes, and new gate and terminal operating systems at the company’s Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico.