Texas-based Excelerate Energy said it is nearing 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,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
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, according to Excelerate.
Excelerate claims it 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, the company said.
Excelerate has transferred over 100,000,000 cubic meters of LNG to date.
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.