Petronas’ first FLNG sets sail to its offshore location in Malaysia

Malaysian energy giant Petronas has informed that its first floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, PFLNG SATU has set sail to the Kanowit gas field, offshore Sarawak, “making its historic 2,120 nautical mile journey to Malaysia on 14 May 2016.”

At 365-meter-long and with a dry weight of 132,000 tonnes, PFLNG SATU was towed from the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd (DSME) shipyard in Okpo, South Korea for the offshore phase of the project, Petronas said on Monday.

The PFLNG SATU will proceed with the installation, hook-up and commissioning of the floating facility once moored at the Kanowit gas field, 180 kilometers offshore Sarawak, and it will be the world’s first unit of the type in operation.

Petronas’ global LNG advisor Abdullah Karim said: “The sail away of PFLNG SATU is an achievement everyone in Petronas, DSME and Technip can be proud of. Congratulations and I look forward to the next phase of the project at the Kanowit gas field for the successful startup of PFLNG SATU.” 

Construction began with the official steel cutting in June 2013 followed by the launching of the hull on April 2014. In the fourth quarter of 2015, Petronas announced that PFLNG SATU had achieved a 95 per cent overall progress in its construction with the successful installation of 22 modular systems within and on the topside of the floating facility.

Designed for water-depths between 70 metres to 200 metres deep and a processing capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) with 145 crew onboard, PFLNG SATU will support Petronas’ global LNG portfolio and enhance its reputation as a preferred and reliable LNG supplier.

The news of the sailaway comes a fortnight after Petronas launched its second Floating LNG unit, the PFLNG2. The hull was launched at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje Island, South Korea on April 30, 2016.

#PFLNG1 sail away. An achievement not just for #PETRONAS, but for #Malaysia too. pic.twitter.com/va183zEsT6

— PETRONAS (@Petronas) May 14, 2016

#PFLNG1 embarks on a new journey from Okpo, South Korea. Another proud moment for #PETRONAS pic.twitter.com/CCDEllzKkr

— PETRONAS (@Petronas) May 14, 2016