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Floating Transfer Terminal concept promises jettyless LNG ship-to-shore transfer

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LNG Industry,


The transporting and bunkering of LNG is becoming increasingly important to the energy strategies of archipelagos and coastal communities across the world.  Such communities, however have limited appetite for major civil works required for new harbours, quaysides and jetties due to environmental sensitivities and lack of readily available investment.

Recognising this, marine design consultancy Houlder, LNG Infrastructure provider and power generation expert Wärtsilä and hose supplier Trelleborg have combined their talents for innovation to develop an alternative solution that they will formally unveil at this years’ GasTech conference and exhibition in Tokyo, 4 – 7 April.

Gianpaolo Benedetti, Houlder’s LNG business development manager described the floating transfer terminal as “taking the jetty to the LNG vessel, rather than have the LNG vessel come to the jetty.”

The floating transfer terminal comprises a self-propelled barge that shuttles to and from LNG vessels moored at up to 800 m offshore. The barge provides a base for a Houlder transfer system developed with KLAW LNG. It is a hybrid hose handling system that facilitates a safe and secure connection with the LNG vessel. Trelleborg CRYOLINE LNG Floating Hoses are then used to transfer of LNG and Boil Off Gas between the barge and any shore facility. They combine high flexibility, reliability and long service life ensuring that LNG operators’ and contractors’ offloading requirements related to safety, flow rate and operational availability are fully met.

The FTT is a flexible, quickly deployable solution that, thanks to a low draft barge and floating hoses, can operate in the widest possible range of locations at a fraction of the cost of fixed infrastructure. 

Gianpaolo Benedetti continues, “Our challenge has been to develop a safe and cost effective solution which also reduces impact on some of the world’s most environmentally sensitive areas. We look forward to sharing our innovation with delegates at the Gastech exhibition next month.”

“Wärtsilä as an EPC contractor sees this new technology enabling us to do even smarter total LNG terminal solutions for various types of small-scale LNG opportunities, where a jetty would be an expensive and time-consuming solution to execute,” says Kenneth Engblom, Director, Sales and Marketing, LNG Solutions at Wärtsilä.

With 25 000 visitors and 600 exhibitors, Gastech will be the largest global gas and LNG exhibition in 2017.  You can meet members of the team at the following stands; Houlder, Stand 14-300, Trelleborg, Stand 16-320 and Wärtsilä at Stand 16-080.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/24032017/floating-transfer-terminal-concept-promises-jettyless-lng-ship-to-shore-transfer/

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