World’s largest FSRU upgraded ahead of deployment to Hong Kong

An upgrade of the world’s largest floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) MOL FSRU Challenger has been completed, increasing its regasification capacity before deployment to Hong Kong.

Following the upgrade at Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, the FSRU with a storage capacity of 263,000 cubic metres now has a nominal regasification capacity of 600M cubic feet per day (mmcfd) and a maximum of 800 mmcfd, Information & Analytical Agency PortNews reports.

The unit’s original nominal regasification capacity was 540 mmcfd and a maximum of 720 mmcfd.

The upgrade included the installation of an additional vaporiser skid, medium high-pressure pump, high-pressure manifolds, power supply facility for jetty equipment and cryogenic test.

The modifications were conducted by Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to prepare the vessel for deployment at the Hong Kong offshore LNG terminal project.

Back in 2019, MOL entered into a long-term charter contract with Hong Kong LNG Terminal Ltd, a joint venture between Castle Peak Power Co and Hongkong Electric, to supply an FSRU, as well as jetty operation and maintenance services and port services for what will be Hong Kong’s first LNG receiving terminal.

For this purpose, MOL FSRU Challenger, which was built in 2017 by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSM), will be renamed Bauhinia Spirit. The FSRU will be moored at the offshore LNG terminal, which will supply gas to two destinations in Hong Kong, the Black Point Power Station in the New Territories and Lamma Power Station at Lamma Island.

The terminal is expected to become operational in 2023.