Delfin LNG LLC submitted an application to construct, own and operate the Delfin LNG project, the company said May 11. The application concerning the U.S.’ first LNG export deepwater port project was sent to the Maritime Administration and the United States Coast Guard on May 8, the company said May 11. The port will be about 50 miles offshore Cameron Parish, La., in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The application is under the Deepwater Port Act, and the Maritime Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“This is a very exciting step for Delfin and our partners in the project. We believe that floating liquefaction technology is faster to market, more flexible and more environmentally friendly than land based liquefaction terminals. As the first floating liquefaction project in North America, Port Delfin will be a significant development in the world's evolving natural gas markets and an historic milestone for the U.S. oil and gas industry,” said Frederick Jones, Delfin’s founder.

The Delfin LNG project will liquefy natural gas for free trade agreement (FTA) and non-FTA nations under authorizations from the US Department of Energy.

The deepwater port will export up to 443.3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of LNG annually. This is about 9.2 million metric tonnes annually.

Existing infrastructure would be used, and several manufacturing and construction jobs would be available, the company said.

An onshore compressor station will be built, and some underutilized Gulf of Mexico pipeline infrastructure will transport gas to four moored FLNG vessels.

An application was also filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the project’s onshore components.

Delfin also signed a joint development agreement with Höegh LNG Ltd. to be a co-owner, engineer and operator of the FLNG vessels.

Delfin LNG LLC is based in Dallas.

Offshore