Lower cost LNG distribution infrastructure

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 formally unveiled at this years’ GasTech conference and exhibition in Tokyo in 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 800m 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.

By Jake Frith