MARAD approves $8.2 billion Texas offshore LNG export port

The Maritime Administration has approved the deepwater port license for ST LNG, an $8.2 billion offshore liquefied natural gas export project about 10.4 miles off Matagorda, Texas, with capacity of 8.4 million tonnes a year.

Why it matters: The approval is the first large test of moving deepwater port licensing from the Coast Guard to MARAD, and the Department of Transportation completed the final environmental review in 410 days, which it called the fastest deepwater port review in more than two decades.

Data as of Department of Transportation announcement of October 28, 2026, as reported by gCaptain and by Reuters (via MarineLink), both read in full in this run; the department's own press release was not in the feed pool at this update. Developing item.

The Maritime Administration has approved the deepwater port license application for ST LNG, LLC, an $8.2 billion offshore liquefied natural gas export project about 10.4 miles off Matagorda, Texas, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday. The port would have four liquefaction systems of 2.1 million tonnes a year each, for 8.4 million tonnes a year in total, fed from the Tres Palacios storage hub and the Williams Markham processing plant, with construction expected to begin in 2027 and service in 2029. The Department of Transportation said the final environmental impact statement took 410 days, about 3.7 years faster than the historical average, and MARAD Administrator Stephen Carmel said it is the agency’s third deepwater port approval under this administration, with the Coast Guard keeping responsibility for maritime safety, security and vessel traffic.

MARAD approves $8.2 billion Texas offshore LNG export port

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