A Sturgeon Bay shipyard will be making history and keeping its workforce busy well into 2023. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding announced this week that in partnership with Crowley Maritime Corporation, they will be constructing the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering barge ever built in the United States. The 416-foot vessel will have the capacity for 3.17 million gallons of LNG. Vice-President and General Manager Todd Thayse says the new project of a transformative design will meet demands for cleaner energy.

Liquefied natural gas is a process where natural gas is cooled to a liquid state and reduced by nearly 600 percent, allowing for easier and safer transportation.  Thayse notes that Bay Shipbuilding previously partnered with Crowley in 2002 when two large articulated tug-barges were constructed. The new bunker barge is expected to be in service by 2024. Currently, Bay Shipbuilding is wrapping up construction of a similar but smaller LNG barge for Polaris New Energy.