New Fortress Energy (NFE) and the San Juan Bay pilots reached an agreement allowing the vessel AMUR River to enter the bay under special safety conditions addressing risks created by the ship being larger than those the company usually uses. The agreement is to be submitted in the coming hours to federal judge Silvia Carreño Coll and would remain in effect until December, when the vessel Energos Maria — one of two the company uses to supply gas for power generation under the exclusive contract the government granted it last year — is expected to be back in service.
Under the deal, the AMUR could transit between Thursday and Friday to deliver gas that would allow the power system to stop using diesel for electricity generation, which has been happening for almost two weeks and has raised energy costs across the country. After six hours of hearings and talks, the agreement nearly fell apart because NFE did not want to admit that the ship's dimensions encroach on the navigation channel other vessels use to maneuver in the bay.
That point is central to several active lawsuits, and NFE's lawyers said they would back out if forced to make the admission. The pilots who sued agreed that the agreement will mention the differing positions on the encroachment, without NFE admitting that one exists.