LNG
NEWS
SEPTEMBER
2014
LNG
INDUSTRY
5
Estonia
US and Baltic states reinforce LNG cooperation
U
S President Barack Obama, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, and Latvian President Andris Berzinš recently participated in a
joint meeting hosted by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in Tallinn. Their discussions emphasised the cooperation between
the US and the Baltic states, highlighting ongoing collaboration in a number of key areas, including economic, energy and environmental
cooperation.
TheWhite House stated: “Lithuania is rapidly moving to reduce energy dependence on a single supplier. Its energy strategy aims
to increase both energy efficiency and energy diversification through the development of nuclear, LNG, renewable, and unconventional
energy. Lithuania is also working to promote competition, interconnection, and investment in the local and EU energy markets.
“This winter, Lithuania will inaugurate a new LNG import terminal at the port of Klaipeda. In 2015, electricity connections with
Poland and Sweden are scheduled to come online. We are also working closely with Lithuania to share best practices in the sustainable
development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources. Together, these projects will greatly enhance Lithuania’s energy security.”
Australia
APLNG completes LNG tank testing
A
ustralia Pacific LNG (APLNG) has completed the hydro
and pneumatic testing on its second LNG storage tank, a
first for Curtis Island.
APLNG’s two 160 000 m
3
storage tanks took two months
to test and complete.
The LNG tanks were constructed by Bechtel and CBEtl.
It will take approximately three days to fill each LNG tank,
once both of the LNG trains are in operation in 2016 and will
take approximately 12 - 14 hours to load each LNG carrier.
The completion of testing of the LNG tanks plays a critical
role in the delivery of first LNG exports in mid-2015, with gas
from the Surat and Bowen basins delivered to Curtis Island
through the pipeline system where it will be liquefied and
shipped to Asia.
Page Maxson, APLNG CEO, said: “What sets the Australia
Pacific LNG job apart is that the testing on both tanks
was done back to back, and that in itself is a world-class
achievement.
“We also undertook hydro and pneumatic testing
simultaneously; a process that is usually conducted
separately and has therefore saved us time.”
LNG tank testing takes up to 26 days per tank and
requires filling the tanks with water to test its integrity, quality
and stability. Pneumatic testing is carried out to confirm
the tank is ‘gas tight’, and to test the pressure and vacuum
release valves.
Russia
GM&T’s LNG carrier
Pskov
bunkers
G
azpromMarketing and Trading (GM&T) has announced that
its newly delivered LNG carrier
Pskov
has received bunkers
(heavy fuel oil andmarine gas oil) at the port of Nakhodka, Russia.
The bunkers were provided by GazpromNeft Marine Bunker.
This is the first time that a GM&T time-chartered LNG carrier has
bunkered in a Russian port.
Upon completion of the bunkering operation,
Pskov
proceeded to the port of Prigorodnoye where the Gazprom-
majority owned Sakhalin-2 project’s LNG terminal is located.
After completing the gassing up and cooling down of her cargo
tanks and loading LNG,
Pskov
will deliver her maiden cargo to a
customer in Asia.
Nikolai Grigoriev, Managing Director of Shipping, GM&T said:
“The port of Nakhodka is an increasingly important international
bunkering hub which provides cost savings and voyage
optimisation opportunities for companies operating in Asia.
Bunkering our time-chartered [LNG carrier]
Pskov
at Nakhodka
is a milestone for the GM&T group, as it signifies our expanding
shipping capability and flexibility which is particularly relevant for
our future projects in the region such as Vladivostok LNG.”
Pskov
is a state-of-the-art LNG carrier featuringmembrane
tanks with cargo capacity of 170 200m
3
and Ice2 ice class and
winterisation capability. It is powered by a tri-fuel diesel-electric
propulsion system. The LNG carrier is on a long-term charter to
GM&T fromSovcomflot and is the fifth in GM&T’s fleet of Ice class
vessels.
