JAX LNG and TOTE complete first renewable LNG bunkering in the USA

JAX LNG, a small-scale LNG facility located along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, recently completed the first fueling of a marine vessel in the United States with a blend of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable liquefied natural gas (RLNG).

JAX LNG loaded the RLNG/LNG blend into the Clean Jacksonville bunker barge to fuel the Isla Bella. The Isla Bella is the world’s first LNG-powered container ship and was put into service by TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico in 2015. Element Markets supplied the renewable natural gas (RNG) used to produce the RLNG via renewable thermal certificates (RTCs). Using RLNG to fuel marine vessels is a readily available pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050. RLNG’s emissions profile as a maritime fuel is superior even to that of LNG, which already reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25% over ultra-low sulfur diesel.

Decarbonization of the transport sector has greatly accelerated through the use of regulatory incentives such as the alternative fuel tax credit, which encourages companies to adjust operations and make investments in assets that reduce carbon intensity.

Produced from the decomposition of organic waste, RNG is compatible with existing natural gas infrastructure, providing a practical and replicable source of energy that mitigates and repurposes carbon emissions. For this bunkering event, RTCs were matched to the physical LNG loaded into the Clean Jacksonville to create the RLNG/LNG blended product.

JAX LNG is the long-term supplier to the two LNG-fueled container vessels—the Isla Bella and the Perla del Caribe—that TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico utilizes to reliably transport goods between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico.

Mike Noone, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, said:

“RNG is a clean, drop-in fuel source that can be readily deployed for use today, since it needs no new equipment to capture or transport it.”

Angela Schwarz, Co-President and CEO of Element Markets, said:

“RNG offers highly flexible pathways to reducing transportation emissions. We are glad to be part of these forward-thinking initiatives to decarbonize large-scale logistics operations."