The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it has issued letters of recommendation for eight liquefied natural gas facilities under development on the Gulf Coast.

The letters indicate that the waterways near the planned terminals "are suitable for the expected vessel traffic at those facilities," the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard issued the letters for four proposed terminals in Texas, two in Louisiana and two in Mississippi. The facilities in Texas include Gulf Coast LNG Partners' Calhoun LNG; Sempra Energy's (SRE) Port Arthur LNG; Golden Pass LNG, owned by Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil (XOM) and ConocoPhillips (COP); and Freeport LNG, owned by companies including ConocoPhillips, Cheniere Energy (LNG) and Dow Chemical (DOW).

The terminals in Louisiana include Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass Phase II and Creole Trail LNG. In Mississippi, the terminals receiving letters of recommendation were Chevron Corp.'s (CVX) Casotte Landing LNG and Gulf LNG Clean Energy, owned by El Paso Corp. (EP), Angola state-owned oil company Sonangol and a group of private investors.

The proposed terminals must also receive approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before they can be constructed.

Analysts expect an uptick in LNG imports to the U.S. this year as industrial demand in Asia wanes.

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