On 18 March the Manatee County Port Authority approved a long-term USD 30 million agreement with Port Dolphin Energy LLC for construction of an LNG port facility and pipeline off Florida, USA. Port Dolphin is a subsidiary of Hoegh LNG, which operates a fleet of five LNG carriers. Port Dolphin will also base an operations center at Port Manatee. The proposed project will consist of: two submerged turret unloading and mooring buoys for receiving gas from Hoegh’s vessels; a 42mi offshore pipeline for transportation of gas from the offshore terminal to Port Manatee in Tampa Bay; and a 6mi onshore pipeline connection to the Florida gas network. The terminal would lie 28mi off Tampa Bay and use LNG carriers specially designed to regasify LNG for shipment through the pipeline. Port Dolphin will have peak a send-out capacity of as much as 1.2bcfd of gas. Construction is to begin in 2012 with completion in 2013.