Mar. 5--LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Ships full of liquefied natural gas coming into Long Beach Harbor might get U.S. Coast Guard security escorts, a harbor safety panel heard Thursday.

The panel, a subcommittee of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee, convened to establish guidelines for LNG-filled ships to safely navigate the harbor.

The meeting was the first in what may be a six-month process to determine what precautions are needed, if any, to bring vessels into a proposed LNG terminal on Pier T in Long Beach.

A Mitsubishi subsidiary plans to build a $400 million LNG receiving terminal that would bring in enough natural gas to provide California with 10 percent of its overall demand. LNG is a super- chilled and compressed version of natural gas, or methane that is easier to transport and store than the gaseous form.

The proposed terminal, slated to open in 2007 or 2008, is fervently opposed by some area residents who deem it unsafe.

The Harbor Safety Committee's scope is not to decide whether the terminal is safe, but to set guidelines for LNG ship navigation if the Mitsubishi project (or any other LNG terminal) is built.

Ryan Manning, a Coast Guard representative, told the committee that escorts could be routine for LNG ships.

"Nothing's been mandated," he said. "It's based on what the Coast Guard feels is necessary." Vessels coming into an LNG terminal at the Port of Boston have had Coast Guard escorts for three decades. And all other vessel traffic is stopped there until the LNG ship docks.

Similar steps might be taken here.

A liquefied propane gas terminal in the Port of Los Angeles has been in operation for more than 40 years, and LPG ships get Coast Guard escorts, Manning said.

There is also a 500-yard security zone around the LPG ships while they are docked, meaning no other ship can get within that zone. While the LPG ships are in transit, the security zone extends to 1,000 yards ahead of the ship and 500 yards on all other sides.

It's likely that the same policy will be instituted for LNG ships, Manning said.

Manning is in contact with Coast Guard officials at four U.S. LNG terminals (all on the East Coast) and plans to incorporate their expertise here.

The guidelines to be developed by the safety committee are not regulations, meaning the committee has no binding power to enforce them.

Yet they would seem to have the backing of the state, since officials at the California Environmental Protection Agency asked the safety committee to develop the guidelines as a template for the rest of the state, where there are currently six proposed LNG receiving terminals.

Jim Lewis, an LNG expert who acts as a liaison between terminal developers and public agencies, told the committee that there are roughly 150 LNG ships in operation around the world, with 50 more on order.

A tanker costs $200 million, so "you have a stable crew of ship operators that are safety-conscious," he said.

"A typical fleet is worth $1 billion so it's quite an investment."