The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has issued a license to Delfin LNG, LLC for the construction and operation of the nation’s first offshore LNG export deepwater port.
The Delfin LNG facility will be located in US federal waters between 37.4 and 40.8 nautical miles off Louisiana’s Cameron Parish coast.
The license grants Delfin LNG the authority to own, construct, operate, and eventually decommission the deepwater port facility.
The brownfield deepwater port will use existing pipelines to support up to three FLNG vessels, with a total production capacity of 13.2 million tonnes of LNG per year. Delfin purchased the 30-mile, 42-in. UTOS pipeline in 2014 to deliver natural gas to the FLNG vessels.
The approval comes after an extensive regulatory review process involving collaboration between MARAD, the US Coast Guard, and approximately 15 cooperating federal agencies, along with input from Texas and Louisiana state authorities.
The project aligns with the recent “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order, signed by President Trump in January 2025.
The journey to approval began nearly a decade ago when Delfin LNG first submitted its application in May 2015. After being deemed complete in June 2015, the project received initial MARAD approval through a Record of Decision in March 2017, subject to specific technical, financial, and environmental conditions.
The most recent regulatory milestone occurred in April 2024, when MARAD requested an amended deepwater port license application following a comprehensive review of the company’s latest financial and operational plans.
Delfin says that the project’s approval represents a crucial step forward in US energy export capabilities, potentially setting a precedent for future offshore LNG facilities. The company has previously said that the Delfin LNG port will start operations in 2026.
