Golar LNG has announced that the FLNG Gimi, a conversion of the LNG carrier Gimi, has departed Singapore’s Seatrium Shipyard and is now sailing under its own propulsion, supported by an escort tug, toward BP’s purpose-built Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) hub offshore Mauritania and Senegal.
The voyage is expected to last approximately 60 days and production is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Gimi was converted from a 1975-built Moss LNG carrier with a storage capacity of 125,000 cubic metrrs. It is designed for 20 years of operations on-site without dry docking, with a liquefaction capacity of 2.7 million tonnes per annum and contracted to operate near shore in 30 metrrs of water depth.
Golar CEO Karl-Fredrik Staubo commented: “Golar is pleased to complete conversion of the FLNG Gimi. We would like to thank Seatrium, Black and Veatch and other suppliers for another successful FLNG delivery. With Gimi soon on site for start-up of operations Golar will double its operating fleet of FLNGs and bring total installed liquefaction capacity up to 5.1mtpa.
Golar and BP signed a 20-year FLNG unit charter agreement in February 2019, and Golar subsequently commissioned Keppel Shipyard to convert the LNG carrier Gimi into an FLNG unit, which Golar said at the time was expected to cost about $1.3 billion.
The FLNG Gimi was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2022, but an agreement was reached in October 2020 to delay delivery due to the New Crown Pandemic. To ensure that the FLNG Gimi will be delivered on time, Golar LNG and its Singaporean partner Keppel Capital paid $50 million in incentive payments to Keppel Shipyard in the first half of this year.
Golar CEO Karl-Fredrik Staubo commented: “FLNG Gimi will soon enter production, which will double Golar’s fleet of FLNG-operated vessels and bring total installed liquefaction capacity to 5.1 million tons per year. We look forward to having FLNG Gimi in operation, and to continued long term cooperation with BP, Kosmos and the national oil and gas companies of Mauritania and Senegal. As the leading, independent owner and operator of FLNG units globally, we are committed to enabling monetization of attractive proven gas fields through our market leading operational track record, attractive capex/ton of liquefaction capacity and amongst the industry’s most efficient emissions/ton produced LNG.”
In May this year, Golar LNG acquired the 148,000 cbm LNG carrier Fuji LNG for $73 million, built in 2004 which was also earmarked for conversion to FLNG.