GE to deliver flexible risers for Shell’s Prelude FLNG

London-based GE Oil & Gas has informed that it has started production of four high pressure, high temperature (HP/HT) dynamic flexible risers for Shell’s Prelude FLNG.

Often dubbed as the world’s largest offshore floating facility, the Prelude floating liquefied natural gas facility will be located 250 km off Western Australia’s Kimberly Coast.

GE Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of General Electric, said it would complete the work at its facility in Newcastle, UK, where it invested more than $21m (£15m) to expand its production carousel capacity in 2014.

Shell previously awarded GE Oil & Gas a contract for turbomachinery equipment for the FLNG in 2011. The two companies later collaborated on the subsea flexibles and finally signed the contract for flexible riser delivery in April 2014.

Once manufactured, the flexible risers will be packaged onto purpose built large-diameter reels and transported more than 11,000km between Newcastle and South East Asia in readiness for subsea installation.

Andrew Atkinson, Commercial Director, Asia-Pacific and India at GE Oil & Gas, said: “Despite the industry downturn continuing to affect the LNG market, long-term we believe FLNG has the potential to evolve into a promising segment, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, where there are areas of high energy demand and the presence of large-scale offshore gas fields.”

The Shell Prelude FLNG facility will measure 488 meters from bow to stern and will weigh around 600,000 tons when fully loaded. It will contain 260,000 tons of steel, and its deck area will be longer than four football fields.