What happens if an LNG tanker is attacked?
LNG tankers are much less vulnerable than crude, petroleum product (gasoline), or fertilizer vessels because of the ship’s double-hull construction and separate storage tank design. LNG ships are also better built than crude or petroleum product vessels. Moreover, LNG ships are escorted by the Coast Guard, whereas virtually all other vessel traffic into U.S. ports is unescorted. Unlike other vessels, LNG doesn’t come in contact with either of the double hulls. There’s never been an incident where LNG has escaped into the water from a ship’s cargo tanks. A second key difference is the nature of LNG compared to other fuels: LNG doesn’t explode. For example, an attack on a gasoline tanker could produce an explosion, fire, and environmental damage from the unburned spilled fuel. An attack on an LNG tanker probably would produce a shipboard fire that would burn at lower temperatures and more slowly than a petroleum fire. That’s because LNG, which is kept at extremely cold temperatures, abso
