LNG tanker American Energy will make history when it begins service to Puerto Rico this month, the ship’s owners announced March 18.

The ship will be the first vessel allowed to deliver LNG from one U.S. port to another. Crowley, the U.S. logistics company that owns American Energy, signed the agreement with Naturgy, a Spanish multinational energy company.

“We are proud and privileged to expand U.S. LNG availability in Puerto Rico in partnership with Naturgy,” said Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO of Crowley, in the announcement.

U.S.-made LNG has been restricted from shipment to in-country destinations because of the Jones Act. The act, passed by Congress in 1920, restricts all in-country ship traffic to vessels that are made in the U.S., owned by U.S. companies and run by U.S. crews.

Until American Energy, no LNG tanker qualified under Jones Act restrictions.

Crowley, a U.S. company, owns the ship, which U.S. sailors will crew.

The ship, formerly named the Intan, was manufactured in France 31 years ago. It’s an old age for a ship, especially with a high-tech mission of transporting natural gas at -260 F. However, its age is what allows the vessel to take advantage of the loophole in the Jones Act.

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 allowed for foreign-built vessels constructed before that year to transport LNG or LPG to Puerto Rico from other U.S. ports. The ship was re-flagged from a Liberian company in February.

On March 18, the website VesselFinder.com had reported American Energy had docked at facilities in Ingleside, Texas, near Corpus Christi. The ship’s next destination was Aransas Pass, Texas.

The 900-ft ship can provide enough LNG to power 80,000 Puerto Rican homes for a year with each delivery. However, the tanker is smaller than most modern LNG vessels, with a capacity of 130,400 cubic meters. The most popular size is 180,000 cubic meters, while some modern ships can hold as much as 260,000 cubic meters, according to Maritime Optima, a shipping intelligence website.

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