As Greece’s first FSRU leaves Seatrium shipyard, final gas commissioning works coming shortly

Singapore-headquartered Seatrium Limited – formerly Sembcorp Marine Ltd before the merger with Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited – has delivered the first floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) conversion project under the Greek flag for operation in the Aegean Sea to GAS-fifteen Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GasLog LNG Services.

The Alexandroupolis, former 2010-built LNG Carrier GasLog Chelsea, is owned by GasLog, a partner in the Gastrade consortium. The vessel entered Keppel Shipyard in Singapore in early February 2023 for the regasification equipment to be installed, much of which was assembled in advance. The FSRU was scheduled to exit the yard on November 8, 2023, but Seatrium confirmed the delivery of the FSRU Alexandroupolis on November 27, 2023.

With 2.9 million man-hours without any recordable injury and loss-time incident, this vessel has completed its near-shore testing works and set sail to Greece for the final gas commissioning of the regasification system. The company’s scope of work for this project included refurbishment and life extension works, engineering and procurement, fabrication, and installation of a new regasification skid and supporting systems such as boilers, offloading, electrical, and automation systems.

Chris Ong, CEO of Seatrium, commented: “We are pleased to support GasLog and contribute towards Greece’s energy future with the delivery of the first FSRU for the country through the Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System (INGS) project. This project marks a significant milestone for Seatrium, affirming our position as a global player with industry-leading engineering expertise in the gas value chain. We look forward to delivering more of such innovative solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs.”

The FSRU Alexandroupolis will be deployed in waters some 17 kilometers southwest of the Port of Alexandroupolis, Northern Greece, and it will have an overall delivery capacity of approximately 5.5 billion cubic meters (cbm) per year, with a peak send out of 22 million cubic meters per day. The 155,000-cubic-meter LNG carrier recently reflagged to the Hellenic Register, is the first FSRU conversion under the Greek flag for operation in the Thracian Sea. According to Seatrium, the INGS project will become “a critical energy gateway,” supporting Greece’s energy security while advancing the energy transition trajectory of Southeastern Europe.

“Seatrium is committed to driving cleaner and more sustainable solutions for the offshore, marine and energy industries. The group supports the decarbonization efforts of its customers through the construction, conversion, and retrofit of energy-efficient vessels. Compared to a newbuild FSRU, a converted FSRU has a smaller carbon footprint, is more cost-effective, and is faster to market,” added the Singapore player.

Moreover, the FSRU Alexandroupolis will be connected to the National Natural Gas Transmission System (NNGΤS) of Greece via a 28-kilometer-long pipeline developed by Corinth Pipeworks, a steel pipes segment of Cenergy Holdings. Saipem completed the pipelaying activity for Gastrade’s Alexandroupolis LNG terminal in August 2023. Come October 2023, the European Commission, under EU State aid rules, greenlighted a €106 million Greek measure to support the completion of the construction of Gastrade’s DNV-classed liquefied natural gas terminal in Alexandroupolis.

The Alexandroupolis LNG FSRU terminal project is scheduled to start operating on January 1, 2024. A major portion of the gas provided by the FSRU will be exported to Bulgaria and Romania. Gastrade is already preparing its next FSRU project, which is currently in the licensing stage. This second FSRU is expected to have roughly the same technical capacity as the Alexandroupolis and could begin operating in 2025.