Siport21 has presented feasibility studies for FLNG-Barge (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas) installation at Mega Terminal in Bahia Blanca (Argentina) at Gastech Conference, held in Houston last week.
It is the first installation using this technology in Latam. The project has been possible thanks to the collaboration between YPF and Exmar and it has turned Argentina into an LNG exporter.
This project involved the nautical studies performed to analyze the feasibility of the STS LNG load operations from the shore facilities to a receiving LNG carrier, through the mooring of a FLNG barge (EXMAR) at Mega terminal (YPF) in Bahia Blanca (Argentina).
Different nautical studies have been performed to define the mooring systems and ensure safety in the operation, both for the FLNG barge and the receiving LNG carrier, following the requirements from BV and their notation “POSA JETTY”.
These studies show that there is a proven methodology -designed by Siport21 and used in numerous projects- that, conveniently applied, can assess the feasibility and guarantee the safety of LNG transfer operations for these special scenarios. This methodology has included compatibility analysis, dynamic mooring and passing ships studies, both for the barge TFLNG moored alone and for the set barge-LNGC moored alongside for STS operations. The results have allowed to establish operation and permanence limits, as well as acceptable passing distance-speed of the vessels operating in the vicinity of the terminal.
The methodology was the same applied for the first worldwide FSRU project in 2008, also at Bahia Blanca, where Siport21 performed feasibility studies of the operations.
Nowadays, the company has participated in 59 LNG Terminals -28 conventional, 30 FRSU technology and the new FLNG-barge- spread in 28 countries. This experience has permitted Siport21 to become a maritime-port engineering reference and, in particular, in the gas sector.
Source: Siport21