Given the worldwide surge in LNG demand and the US growing LNG export capacity is the market getting better for Tankerman-PIC (barge) LG? I know from the threads about 10+ years ago that market wasn’t really going anywhere but the last couple of years and more job postings is making me wonder if it is worth it now?
From what I’ve seen, the unlimited folks with the LNG Fuel endorsement can be hard to come by and are occasionally in demand. I know as LNG becomes a more prevalent fuel there will be more demand for bunker barge folks, though I don’t know if there is enough demand to justify paying for the endorsement out of your own pocket at the moment.
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It’s a PIC endorsement, you can’t get it by “paying out of your own pocket.” You need time and transfers on an LNG ship. You can pay for the course, but if you don’t get time and transfers on a ship, you can’t get the endorsement.
This is the spirit of my comment, I did not mean to imply you can pay for the required transfers, however, I would consider the opportunity cost of being a PIC observer vs not pursuing the endorsement to be “paying for it out of my own pocket.” When i value my time at 680 a day. 150 a day is definitely me paying for the time.
Free class + OICNW day rate while observing would make it worth kt.
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And not a single LNG ship is US flagged.
Oh, and most countries besides the USA have vastly easier requirements to get the STCW Advanced Liquified Gas Tanker Cargo Operations—strange looks come from non-USA officers when explained the USA PIC extensive and explicit requirements.
And, LNG is probably a bubble. There are so many ships on the order books right now to be built over the next 3-5 years, it’s hard to believe there won’t be excess capacity once people realize LNG is like 3-5x more expensive than pipeline gas.
The LNG world has been chugging along for the last 20 years quite well. It’s just that the USA is not a player in it anymore, other then sending our gas overseas. Quite a few of the 1970’s ball ships are still floating, with a few being converted to FSRUs. But I doubt you will find many Americans on any type of LNG/LPG vessel.
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LNG is widely considered to be a “transitional fuel” or bridge until a renewable solution comes along, but that hasn’t stopped certain sectors of the industry from pursuing it, sometimes aggressively, as a fuel. For a while we’ve had US Flagged LNG fueled OSVs and container ships. Matson’s 3 new JA boxships will be LNG capable.
Data of LNG vessels in the US from the USCG:
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/lgcncoe/fuel/State-of-the-Industry/
On top of the LNG powered cruise ships in service, about a third of all new cruise ships will be LNG powered - many of which will be based in the US:
Some of these vessels are fueled at the dock by a terminal or trucks, but clearly there is some desire for US flag LNG bunkering (Florida). However I’m not aware of any new vessels being built so probably not useful to pursue a LG PIC. At this point the company will more than likely give you training if needed.
Also anyone know what happened with this:?
Shell currently manages 20 something LNG carriers
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That whole thing ended poorly for almost everybody that was involved. I think a few got the LNG PIC, but a lot of them don’t even sail anymore.
Certainly could be wrong but McCallister in Jacksonville is operating Polaris’s LNG bunker barge, and I believe Harvey Gulf has one as well. Maybe options to get time and transfers for the PIC-LNG endorsement??? From 27 years of sailing…any added endorsement or license is a big plus!
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Those were the two main positions I saw. I wasn’t sure if there was a trend because of LNG exports to help out Europe but it seems like it isn’t a huge market. Not many people with the endorsement on LinkedIn still doing it and that is also usually a sign.
Endorsements are good but only like one place offers the class and this isn’t something I would be willing to pay for right now. Great info in this thread though.
MEBA school usually offers the class once a year…obviously it’s only free to MEBA members, but possibly open to outsiders to pay. It’s a very good class with intensive simulator sessions (simulators are based on real ships). But one still needs to get the transfers.
LNG tankers is a big deal in the rest of the world; it’s just been forgotten about in the USA for the last 10-15 years because there haven’t been union jobs on LNG carriers.
Today it’s obviously foreign flagged ships with officers from all over the world. Talking to non-USA officers, it seems the pay level is backwards to what we have in the USA. The word is that LNG is around the top pay, with oil tankers next, then box boats, then bulkers. USA is container is king pay and tanker is scum lol.
Also of note is that LNG as a fuel class is being taught for engineers to bunker and operate the LNG dual/fuel ships that Matson and Pasha are now running. This is not LNG PIC, but allows one to get Basic/Advance IGF code operations with required transfers.
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Just a footnote on that timeline. In 2007 the MEBA had an agreement with Excelerate Energy to supply Mates and Engineers on their tankers. Not sure when that ended but I knew some Mates and Engineers that worked the ships.
Fincanteri Bay Shipbuilding has a couple more U.S.-flag LNG bunker barges on the order books.
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The agreement still exists.
My nephew did his internship on a Shell LNG ship. I told him to make damn sure he had his loads and discharges documented. Turns out he got all but 2 loads and 1 discharge. After graduation, he sailed as 4th on a Shell LNG run between Mexico and SA. Got his needed L&Ds on the first hitch. He took the PIC course and moved up to 3rd the next trip. Being fluent in Spanish doesn’t hurt. Work-wise, he hasn’t missed any meals and just got his CM ticket.
Is he American?
So, there are union jobs on LNG carriers
From what I heard, 2 jobs in the last 10 years. So yeah, lots of Americans on LNG ships. Just because the agreement exists, doesn’t mean the company hires (I believe it’s a right to select contract).
Yes. And I believe that was an AMO job.
I remember hearing that Shell had a maximum allowable Body Mass Index for its hires for those LNG contracts. I don’t know if there was any truth to it, but it did make me think at the time that it would likely be difficult for the average American mariner to meet the requirement.
While few and far between, US LNG Tankerman exists. How else would this LNG bunker barge get filled. Harvey Gulf operates a LNG bunkering ATB as well.
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