SABINE-NECHES WATERWAY (SNWW) CHANNEL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FEASIBILITY STUDY

EPR RECOMMENDATION:
3. The “multiport analysis” for LNG shipments should be presented in an appendix.
DISCUSSION: A multiport assessment was presented in the 2007 Economic Appendix. Since
2007, two of the three proposed LNG terminals have been constructed. The SWG report shows
the SNWW receiving 20 percent of the U.S. Department of Energy forecast volume, adjusted to
reflect ocean-going movements. The SNWW forecast was estimated using 2009 Annual
Energy Outlook (March 2009).
SWG ACTION TAKEN: An LNG multiport analysis is presented in the following locations:
• FFR, Appendix 2 (Economic Appendix), Section 2.7 (Expansion of the Existing Traffic
Base, Liquefied Natural Gas).
• FFR, Appendix 2, Section 4.15 (U.S. LNG Forecast).
Panel BackCheck Response to Comment 3:
Based on material and time available, Non-Concur.
The IEPR Panel could locate no data that relate loaded draft specifically to design draft, so
it is impossible to determine if the vessels are draft constrained and, if so, to what extent.
The chart below, developed from Table 23, shows a stable share of trips with loaded drafts over
37’ and no apparent trend toward higher draft utilization. There appears, from this analysis, to
be no trend towards deeper drafts. The added discussion does offer some insight to the overall
size of ships in the industry but little specific to this project and the future drafts of the traffic in
these channels.
Share of Total SNWW Trips by Loaded Draft
100%
90%
80%
15%
20%
27%
19% 19% 20% 22% 22% 22% 19%
26%
21%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
85%
80%
73%
%>37 ft
%