Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 1972)

Long Term Importation of LNG

Gets Green Light From F.P.C.

The first long term importation of liquefied natural gas into the United States has been authorized by the Federal Power Commis- sion, Washington, D.C. The gas, to be shipped from Algeria, is to be distributed over the next 20 years in the northeastern United States, where there are shortages.

The importer is Distrigas Corporation. It proposes to import 15.4-billion cubic feet of gas annually from Alocean, Ltd., a company formed by Gazocean and Sonatrach, the Al- gerian national oil company which operates

Algeria's Hassi R'mel field.

Distrigas is owned by the Cabot Corpora- tion of Boston, Mass., and by Gazocean, a

French group. It will deliver the liquefied gas to facilities to be built at Everett, Mass., and Staten Island, N.Y. The LNG will go to seven distributors: Boston Gas Co., Mystic

Valley Gas Co., Connecticut Gas Co., Provi- dence Gas Co., Fall River Gas Co., Brockton-

Taunton Gas Co., and Brooklyn Union Gas

Co., It sets a precedent also for a number of other applications for such imports, including a much larger amount by El Paso Natural

Gas Company.

Distrigas told the Commission it proposed rates of from $1.04 to $1.64 per million British

Thermal Units at Everett, and from $1.07 to $1.74 per million BTUs at Staten Island. But under the terms of the F.P.C.'s decision, the company can charge what the traffic will bear so long as the gas is sold within Massachu- setts or New York State. F.P.C. controls would go into effect if it is sold in other states.

The majority opinion was delivered by Com- missioner Pinkney Walker who was joined by Commissioners John A. Carver Jr. and Al- bert B. Brooke Jr., The ruling pointed out that the nation is running "dangerously short of natural gas," and the F.P.C. said it was "in ef- fect inviting venture capital into the develop- ment of LNG import projects and expressing its intention not to regulate them to the extent they are intrastate in nature."

ARTCo Orders 100 Barges

Featuring Arch-Shaped Covers

Made Of Reinforced Plastic

American River Transportation Co. (ART-

Co), St. Louis, Mo., has announced thait 100 new covered hopper barges will be built for the firm, one of the largest such orders in the towing industry in recent years.

The added barges will more than double

ARTCo's capacity to transport bulk commodi- ties on the inland waterways, R.C. Helsing,

ARTCo operations manager, said.

The barges, Mr. Helsing said, will have a cargo-carrying capacity equivalent to 1,700 conventional railcars.

Sixty box barges and 40 rake barges, with 72,000 to 80,000-cubic-foot capacity each, are scheduled for completion and delivery by Sep- tember 30, 1972. "Each vessel will be custom designed to provide greater flexibility and efficiency in shipping all kinds of bulk com- modities," Mr. Helsing said.

The major expansion of ARTCo's fleet "re- flects the significant growth in our supplying waterway transportation for bulk commodity shippers, and our anticipation of increasing waterborne commerce in the immediate fu- ture," the official declared.

Among the special features of the new barges will be covers formed of fiberglass re- inforced plastic to span >the holds. The arch- shaped covers allow increased loads, are resist- ant to rust and corrosion, and are about one- third the weight of conventional steel covers. leffboat, Inc., Jeffersonville, Ind., will con- struct the 60 box barges for ARTCo. The 40 rake barges will be built by American Bridge

Division of U.S. Steel Corporation art: Am- bridge, Pa.

The reinforced plastic covers for the barges will be produced by Proform, Inc., at its Pa- ducah, Ky., plant.

ARTCo headquarters are at 7733 Forsyth

Boulevard, Clayton, Mo.

For the finest in complete shipbuilding and ship repair facilities

Beliard Murdoch S.A.

Kattendijkdok Westkaai 21 • Antwerp, Belgium

U.S.A. Representative —

Robert M. Catharine Jr. 11 Broadway, New York 10004 (212) 944-60'50

CENTRAL GULF CITATION: A special citation for main- taining high sanitation standards on all vessels in its fleet during 1971 was awarded to Central Gulf Steamship

Corporation by the U.S. Public Health Service and the

Food and Drug Administration. Capt. Joe L. Perrin of

Dallas, Texas, Chief of the Special Programs Branch of the FDA, made the presentation of the award to com- pany officials at a luncheon at International House, New

Orleans, La. Captain Perrin said Central Gulf qualified for the award by scoring 95 or higher during inspections of each of its ships. Admiring the award plaque are (from left) Coptain Perrin, O.C. Webster, purchasing agent for the steamship company, and Erik F. Johnsen, president of Central Gulf.

Beliand

Murdoch antwerp

Two privately owned graving docks up to 90,000 DWT capacity

Ten city owned drydocks also available 24 hour pierside service 5 complete new machine shops

Heaviest and precise engineering work

Diesel servicing—

Gotaverken—M.A.N.—Doxford 26 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News