Maritime Administration Grant for Natural Gas Conversion Pilot Projects

Action: The Maritime Administration Office of Environment is issuing this request for proposals (RFP) for projects that focus on vessel conversion to natural gas in an effort to measure in situ change in criteria pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions before and after the conversion.

Background: Over the past several years, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) has been partnering with other government agencies, industry, and academia on efforts to reduce vessel and port air emissions and greenhouse gases as well as support the use of alternative fuels and energy sources. Several MARAD efforts are underway to address emissions reductions, specifically through development of planning and modeling tools and in situ testing of alternative fuels, repowers, and emissions reduction and energy efficiency technology. MARAD recognizes the limited Federal funding opportunities specific to the maritime sector for projects in these areas and proposes to enter into an incentive cooperative agreement to help offset costs. The total amount of funding under the RFP will be $900,000.

Eligibility: MARAD is seeking to provide cost share funding through cooperative agreements for US-flagged vessels that operate on inland, coastal waterways, or the Great Lakes. Eligible applicants include vessel owners, operators, or sponsors. Awardees will be expected to complete a natural gas conversion on an existing vessel and measure/document pre- and post-conversion emissions and other operational characteristics via in situ testing methods. Data and information collected must be made available to MARAD and can be used publicly.

MARAD intends to use the results/data of the demonstration projects to support further work related to air emissions reduction/alternative fuels research and to assess the public benefit of possible incentives to encourage adoption of emissions reduction and alternative fuels in the marine sector. MARAD will not fund more than 50% of the total cost of the project.

Successful proposals must include a detailed description of the project that provides:
• Project plan that lays out the milestones for conversion and testing.
• Plan and procedures for conducting emissions testing.
• Vessel class, engine type, and size.
• Operation specifics and area (including ports serviced, waterway used, frequency of operation, cargo carried).
• LNG supplier and location from which LNG will be secured.
• The identity of project partners and their role within the project.
• Identification of natural gas infrastructure and supply to support refueling needs.
• Detailed cost share analysis.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
• Amount of time necessary to complete the conversion (preference may be given to conversions that can be completed within approximately 12 months of the time of award).
• Amount of time necessary to complete emissions testing (emissions testing must be completed within 12 months after the conversion, and the agreement completed and payments made before September 30, 2018).
• Extent and commitment of partnerships and use of partnering resources.
• Ability to cost share.
• Extent of annual vessel operation (e.g. MARAD is ideally seeking conversion of a commercial vessel that operates at least 3000 hours annually).
• Level of detail of the plan and procedures for emission testing process including identification of the organization that will be used to complete the task.
• Identification of infrastructure to serve as a refueling source.

NOTE: Proposals are limited to 15 pages maximum (including any appendices/attachments). Any proposal that exceeds this requirement will not be considered. Any proposal that does not clearly address the evaluation criteria will not be considered.