Excelerate Energy L.P. has announced that it is fast approaching its 1000th commercial Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is set to be completed in late August.
The operation will take place at one of the company’s floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) projects in Dubai, Pakistan or South America. The exact location of the 1000th STS transfer will be determined by delivery logistics in the coming weeks since Excelerate performs an average of four to six STS transfers per week during the high-demand June to August period.
“It wasn’t too long ago that we were commemorating our 100th STS operation,” stated Excelerate CEO Rob Bryngelson. “The fact that we will be reaching one thousand soon demonstrates the industry’s acceptance of our STS Transfer of LNG protocol. It also illustrates the increased capacity at which our FSRUs are being utilized for LNG regasification services worldwide.”
STS transfers of LNG are an integral component of floating regasification terminals. The operation not only optimizes the capabilities of regasification vessels, but it also enables the efficient, continuous supply of natural gas to the market. STS Transfers of LNG have played a significant role in making floating terminals viable alternatives to land-based LNG terminals.
“It was Excelerate’s vision to develop and implement the STS Transfer of LNG protocol – we made the intellectual and capital investment,” continued Mr. Bryngelson. “Many of our partners have gained from our experience, and we are proud to see how this knowledge has spread industry-wide. We feel the adoption of this operation has helped open opportunities for floating regas projects across the globe, and the industry as a whole has benefited.”
Excelerate conducted the industry’s first commercial STS transfer of LNG in 2007. Since then, STS transfers have been commercially accepted and proven in a wide range of environments including open ocean and protected bodies of water at a variety of locations between the LNG load ports and market delivery points.
Excelerate has safely transferred over 100,000,000 cubic meters of LNG to date.
“Safety is paramount at Excelerate. All LNG carriers and their crew delivering cargoes to our vessels must be certified and trained by Excelerate before arriving at the FSRU,” stated Max Yarbrough, Senior Manager of STS for Excelerate. “We work closely with our counterparties to train their crews to ensure the seamless delivery of natural gas to our customers.”
An STS transfer of LNG operation consists of an LNG carrier mooring alongside an FSRU and transferring its cargo to the FSRU via flexible cryogenic hoses. The FSRU can provide uninterrupted regasification services throughout the entire STS LNG transfer process, providing continuous delivery of natural gas to the local market.
Source: Excelerate Energy
