Argent LNG has formally submitted a Waterway Suitability Assessment (WSA) to the U.S. Coast Guard for its proposed 25 million tonne per annum (MTPA) LNG export terminal at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, 98 miles south of New Orleans. The filing, made under 33 CFR Part 127, asks the Coast Guard to formally assess whether the waterways serving the site, including Belle Pass, Bayou Lafourche and the Gulf of America approach channels, can safely handle LNG carrier traffic. It is the company's third major federal agency engagement, alongside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.
What the assessment covers
A Waterway Suitability Assessment evaluates navigation safety, vessel traffic management, waterway characteristics and the operational requirements of the LNG carriers that would call at the terminal. Those vessels range from 125,000 to 260,000 cubic meters of cargo capacity, according to Argent LNG. The Coast Guard review sits alongside the environmental review FERC is conducting and the export authorization the Department of Energy has already issued, each covering a different piece of the federal approval process an LNG export terminal needs before construction.
Three agencies, three tracks
Argent LNG has submitted eleven Resource Reports to FERC as part of its ongoing pre-filing environmental review for the Port Fourchon terminal. On July 23, 2026, the Department of Energy issued Order No. 5447, granting Argent LNG long-term authorization to export 25 MTPA of domestically produced LNG over a 20-year term. The Coast Guard filing adds a third track to that review, focused on whether the waterway itself can carry LNG carrier traffic rather than on environmental impact or export authorization.
| Agency | Track | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FERC | Environmental pre-filing review | Eleven Resource Reports submitted |
| DOE | Long-term export authorization | Order No. 5447 issued July 23, 2026, granting 25 MTPA for 20 years |
| USCG | Waterway Suitability Assessment | Formally submitted under 33 CFR Part 127 |
The company's read
Jonathan Bass, Chairman and CEO of Argent LNG, said the Coast Guard filing reflects the company "engaging every federal agency in our regulatory matrix with the same rigor" it brings to the rest of the project. He said each agency engagement works as a "de-risking event" and that the submissions are moving Argent LNG toward a final investment decision.
