VIDEO: VT Halter launches LNG bunkering ATB barge

Q-LNG 4000 hits the water in a spectacular side launch at VT Halter Marine's shipyard

Shipbuilder VT Halter Marine has launched the Q-LNG 4000 ATB barge just a few weeks after its naming ceremony.

The 324’ x 64’ x 32’.6 Q-LNG 4000 is the barge component of America’s first offshore liquefied natural gas Articulated Tug and Barge (LNG ATB) unit and is designed to carry 4,000 cubic meters of LNG. The tug component of the ATB, the 128’ x 42’ x 21’ Q-Ocean Services, is scheduled to launch late October and will be powered by two GE 6L250 MDC EPA Tier 4 main engines delivering 5,100 hp. Propulsion will be by Wärtsilä Z-drives..

“The Q-LNG 4000 is dedicated to delivering safe transit to all ships and ports it will serve,” said Shane J Guidry, Chief Executive Officer of Q-LNG Transport. “Q-LNG Transport is committed to being a leader in developing LNG infrastructure in the United States and abroad. We are equally pleased that the ATB unit is Jones Act compliant, meaning she was constructed in America, owned by an American company, crewed by Americans under the American flag.”

The LNG ATB Unit is designed to meet the requirements of the American Bureau of Shipbuilding (ABS) and the International Gas Carrier code as an LNG bunkering barge.

Anticipated delivery of the ATB unit is in the first quarter of 2020.

Q-LNG announced the award of the ATB LNG unit building contract to VT Halter Marine in November 17, in conjunction with its securing of a long-term contract with Shell Trading (U.S.) Company to deliver LNG as a fuel to various ports in Florida and the Caribbean. The ATB will bunker Carnival Cruise Line’s two new dual-fuel ships and two dual fuel Siem Car Carrier pure car truck carriers chartered by the Volkswagen Group to transport vehicles from Europe to North America.

“We are proud of this successful launch,” said Ronald Baczkowski, President and Chief Executive Officer of VT Halter Marine. “It marks a significant milestone in our role to deliver cleaner and more efficient fuels for the cruise and commercial ship industries. The professional and dedicated employees of VT Halter Marine have put their hearts and souls into building a vessel that will support environmentally friendly domestic commerce for decades to come.”