According to the latest research from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), floating regasification is increasingly being used to meet natural gas demand in smaller markets, or as a temporary solution until onshore regasification facilities are built. Of four countries planning to begin importing LNG in 2015, three of them—Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt—have chosen to do so using floating regasification rather than building full-scale onshore regasification facilities. Floating regasification involves the use of a specialized vessel called a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), which is capable of transporting, storing, and regasifying LNG onboard. Floating regasification also requires either an offshore terminal, which typically includes a buoy and connecting undersea pipelines to transport regasified LNG to shore, or an onshore dockside receiving terminal. An FSRU can be purpose-built or be converted from a conventional LNG vessel. Floating regasification offers a flexible, cost-effective solution for smaller or seasonal markets, and can be developed in less time than an onshore facility of comparable size. It can also serve as a temporary solution while permanent onshore facilities are constructed, and an FSRU can be redeployed elsewhere once construction is completed. There are currently 16 FSRUs functioning as both transportation and regasification vessels ...
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