Deep-water port east of Boston begins operations

A deep-water natural gas port about 18 miles east of Boston has begun commercial operations, Excelerate Energy LLC, a Texas-based liquefied natural gas importer and marketer, said today.

A deep-water port is essentially a connection to a pipeline buried in the ocean floor; a submersible turret-loading buoy, such as the one shown at right, is brought to the surface when an LNG tanker arrives at the location.

The buoy, which also serves as the tanker's mooring, is connected to the buried pipeline by a flexible armored pipe, Excelerate said; the liquid gas is heated on the tanker so it can unload its cargo of gas directly into the pipeline.

Known as the HubLine, this natural gas pipeline is operated by Spectra Energy Corp. of Texas.

The HubLine is part of the region's natural gas grid, and the line comes ashore in Beverly and Weymouth, an Excelerate spokesman said.

This particular deepwater port is called the Northeast Gateway Deepwater LNG Port, and Excelerate said today that a tanker named Excellence has begun offloading its cargo of natural gas at the port.

Excelerate and Spectra decided to invest in the Northeast Gateway port because "regional energy studies show that New England's demand for natural gas will increase considerably in coming years," Excelerate said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)