Golar says Cameroon FLNG to start commercial ops in days

LNG shipper Golar said on Thursday its FLNG Hilli Episeyo located offshore Kribi in Cameroon is expected to start commercial operations in the coming days.

The FLNG started producing the chilled fuel back in March and since then has shipped two cargoes of LNG, according to Golar.

The unit is the world’s second floating LNG producer in operation after the first ever FLNG project came on stream in Malaysia last year, developed by Petronas.

Golar said that minor issues occurred after the March 12 start-up, interrupting the commissioning of additional trains and the ramp up of production.

By late April stable levels of production were being achieved and a 138,000-cbm commissioning cargo destined for China was subsequently offloaded, it said.

The company added that official acceptance testing has commenced and a second cargo was offloaded.

Based on the current schedule, the contract with customers Perenco and SNH ” is expected to fully commence in the coming days,” the company said in its first-quarter report.

To remind, the FLNG Hilli Episeyo was converted from a 1975 built Moss LNG carrier with a storage capacity of 125,000 cubic meters by Keppel of Singapore.

It is the world’s first converted LNG carrier to a floating LNG producer.

Golar said in its report that the commercial start-up of the FLNG Hili Episeyo has “generated significant interest from gas companies and led to several new commercial enquires.”

The company has earlier this year entered into a preliminary deal with units of BP in Mauritania and Senegal for the provision of a floating LNG producing unit for the Greater Tortue / Ahmeyin field.

The deal also includes an option for BP on a second FLNG vessel.

LNG World News Staff