US Moves Forward with Delfin LNG Deepwater Port License
July 9, 2026
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) has decided to move forward with issuing a deepwater port license to Delfin LNG after a federal appeals court denied review of a legal challenge by environmental groups.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied the review, allowing MARAD to continue work toward issuing the license for the Delfin LNG deepwater port.
Delfin FLNG 1 is planned as the first offshore LNG export project in the United States, with production slated to begin in 2030.
Delfin also plans to construct two additional floating LNG (FLNG) vessels that are set to be launched in 2027. At full capacity, the facility is expected to export about 1.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
“This commonsense ruling ensures that this vital energy infrastructure project won't be derailed by Far-Left climate activists. Under the President's directive, the Maritime Administration is unleashing America’s energy dominance by supporting the Delfin LNG Deepwater port’s operations and the good-paying jobs it'll create,” said Stephen M. Carmel, MARAD Administrator.
“This project is an important part of the President’s energy dominance agenda, as evidenced by the President’s directives to the Maritime Administration about this project in his Unleashing American Energy Executive Order.
“The Fifth Circuit’s ruling will make it harder for environmental groups — who have no stake in important energy projects — to challenge projects that will bring jobs and prosperity to Americans,” added Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).
