Exmar's barge-based FLNG unit, at one time meant to operate off the coast of Colombia, has completed performance testing at Wison Offshore & Marine's Nantong, China yard, the engineering firm announced on 27 September.
While the deal for which the vessel had been originally built formally terminated in March this year, the unit itself has pushed forward at Wison. The unit boasts a capacity of approximately 72 MMscf/d (0.5 MTPA) of LNG and a storage volume of 16,500cu m.
Wison said that the 72-hour performance test of the FLNG unit ensured all key design requirements and production capacities were achieved for its operational effectiveness.
The FLNG project is being delivered by Wison under an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) contract with Exmar. Both gas trial and performance test were completed at the Nantong yard.
"All systems on the FLNG unit have been commissioned and tested without leaving the shipyard by using LNG to supply gas without connection to a pipeline. Conducting gas trials and performance testing in the shipyard shortened the time required for project completion," Wison said.
The project, which promised to bring about the first floating liquefaction, regasification and storage (FLRSU) vessel began in 2012 with Wison, Exmar and LNG engineering consultants Black & Veatch. OE covered the vessel from the very beginning with a feature on the project in July 2012.
In 2012, operator Pacific Exploration and Production (then named Pacific Rubiales) contracted Exmar to build the FLRSU vessel to operate 3km offshore Colombia. At the time of the contract termination, Exmar stated that due to substantial changes within the domestic natural gas market in Colombia and international LNG market, the liquefaction of LNG in Colombia was no longer economic for Pacific. Exmar is pursuing other employment opportunities for the unit.
Image: The Exmar FLNG unit at Wison's Nantong yard. Photo from Wison Offshore & Marine.
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