MARAD, COAST GUARD RECEIVE DEEPWATER PORT APPLICATION

MARAD, COAST GUARD RECEIVE DEEPWATER PORT APPLICATION    The U.S. Maritime Administration and Coast Guard received an application from El Paso Energy Bridge Gulf of Mexico, LLC, to build a deepwater port to handle liquefied natural gas shipments.
   Deepwater port applications must be approved by MarAd and Coast Guard under the 1974 Deepwater Port Act. A deepwater port is described as “a fixed or floating manmade structure other than a vessel, or a group of structures, located beyond the territorial sea and off the coast of the U.S., and used or intended for use as a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, and further handling of oil for transportation to any (U.S.) state.”
   El Paso Energy Bridge Gulf of Mexico, based in Houston, intends to use the deepwater port to provide onshore markets with natural gas derived from the regasified LNG, which will be received from sources worldwide. Vessels servicing the proposed deepwater port will be leased to affiliates of El Paso Energy Bridge Gulf of Mexico.