John Dwyer Sector Puget Sound

September 2016

National Harbor Safety Conference

LNG as Marine Fuel: Integrating Waterway Suitability Assessments for Multiple LNG Projects Throughout Puget Sound

LNG Fuel Projects: Puget Sound

1. Washington State Ferries (WSF) • Conversion of Six LNG Fueled Issaquah Class Ferries

2. Puget Sound Energy • Construction of Tacoma LNG Fueling Facility

3. Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) • Conversion of Two LNG Fueled ORCA Class

Containerships

4. LNG Bunker Barge

Puget Sound

FOUO

A Complex Waterway System

• A variety of navigational challenges • A variety of sea and weather

conditions • A variety of traffic patterns

San Francisco

LA/LB

San Diego

Puget Sound: Size Comparison with other

Major U.S. Ports

Boston

Miam

i New

York

Puget Sound Waterway Challenges

CO In-Brief – 2008

Washington State Ferry System 24M passengers annually Approx 500 transits per day

3.5M TEU containers thru Seattle & Tacoma; 3rd largest port complex in nation.

Growing Cruise Ship Industry: 960K Passengers, 203+ arrivals

Alaskan Fishing Fleet Homeport; Significant Tribal Fisheries

USN Strategic Port - 3rd Largest Domestic Port - 7 Navy Waterfront Facilities

- 125 regulated commercial facilities

Designated Military Outload Port

~4000 Deep Draft Ship Transits per year

3500 sq. mi. AOR; 123 - 147 mile transits from sea to ports

1.3 Million Recreational Boating Population

15 Billion Gallons of Oil Moved Annually

125 mile long International Border with Canada

Largest Vessel Traffic System in North America: Joint waterway management

Waterway Suitability Assessment • Laid out in NVIC 01-2011 • Performed by applicant • Supports issuance of Letter of Recommendation by COTP • Brief Preliminary WSA • Then in depth follow-on WSA:

• Security threats • Navigational safety hazards • Risk management strategies

• Focus is on the waterway! • Validated by harbor safety committee, area maritime security committee • Public input as appropriate • Ongoing annual validation

Washington State Ferries (WSF) Up to 6 vessels with operation

throughout much of Puget Sound Waterway Suitability Assessment

completed Expert groups HSC, AMSC input Federal Register process

Ltr of Recommendation to WSDOT

Puget Sound Energy • WSA influenced by the WSF

WSA: – Weather and sea conditions – Waterway traffic patterns,

density – Security threats, navigational

hazards – Resources to mitigate threats

• Integrated Tacoma area with rest of Puget Sound that WSF WSA already captured

• Long process! • Letter of Recommendation to

City of Tacoma being developed

Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) Orca Class: M/V NORTH STAR

& M/V MIDNIGHT SUN in service between WA and AK

Integrate Blair Waterway aspects, transit throughout Puget Sound

In process

LNG Bunker Barge

• Membrane LNG barge designed to supply TOTE vessels – bring LNG from British Columbia to Tacoma

• Challenge: WSA has to address challenges of barge tow vs. self propelled

• Project shifted to Florida, but potential remains for LNG to be moved from British Columbia to Washington State

What We Did….

• Used four potential ongoing projects to look at impact on Puget Sound collectively while still providing individual WSAs

• Encouraged submitters to integrate WSAs for common aspects of waterway conditions, features, traffic patterns

• Ensure they captured/addressed differences • COTP analyzing each WSA against NVIC 01

2011, and in concert

Advantages: Integrated WSAs • WSAs that don’t conflict, but support each other • Consistency of data, inputs, engagement of

stakeholders • Enhance quality, effectiveness, efficiencies of WSAs

for future LNG and other energy projects • Continual improvement: Successive new projects can

inform predecessors • Support annual WSA revalidation process,

individually and collectively • Boost role, effectiveness of Harbor Safety Committee,

AMSC

Conclusions

• Integration of WSAs ensures alignment of waterway considerations, past, present, future

• Enables effective updating of evaluation of existing facilities’ WSAs

• Future projects’ differences are more accurately assessed against the region’s collective WSA history

• Enhances waterway expertise of HSC, AMSC, industry, regulators, public

Questions?