Houston-based Pilot LNG said July 16 it has filed regulatory applications for Galveston LNG Bunker Port, the region’s first dedicated LNG bunker terminal. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead permitting agency. Pilot CEO Jonathan Cook said the port on Pelican Island “will provide clean-burning LNG to one of the U.S.’s largest port complexes.” The facility, which will provide fuel to vessels in the ports of Galveston, Houston and Texas City, will be designed around floating liquefaction technology to be engineered and constructed by Wilson Offshore & Marine. Pilot’s announcement added, “The maritime industry is increasingly turning towards LNG as the marine fuel of choice due to its significantly lower emissions profile and cost competitiveness.” Final investment decision is expected in 2021 with operations starting in 2024.