Former House Speaker José Aponte Hernández said on Monday that New Fortress Energy (NFE) has the vessel Energos Princess available in the Dominican Republic "doing nothing" while it keeps the Amur River out of San Juan Bay, and accused the company of "blackmailing the people of Puerto Rico" to be paid for gas it has not delivered. He spoke in an interview on the program Normando en la Mañana on NotiUno 630.
Aponte Hernández said the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has summoned several sectors for Tuesday, including NFE, the Ports Authority and the harbor pilots. He said the final decision rests with the company itself. He explained that NFE had spent two weeks in federal court, and that the judge issued an order for the Amur River to enter, addressing the pilots’ reservations about tugboats.
NFE had an agreement, known as a "letter of recommendation," setting vessel sizes and tugboat protection, but in summer 2025 the company canceled the contract for the large tugboats because it was too expensive. He said the Amur River has larger specifications than those in the letter of recommendation. After the judge ordered its entry with additional tugboats, it was set to enter Sunday morning but did not.
A new entry was proposed for Monday at 9:00 AM, and that was also canceled. Meanwhile, he said, the Energos Princess is Coast Guard-certified and sits in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic.