Enagas: Q-Max Docks at Barcelona LNG Terminal, Spain

On Friday, for the first time ever, one of the world’s largest vessels, a Q-Max, transferred its entire load at Enagás’ regasification plant in Barcelona. This is the first time one of the company’s terminals has fully offloaded a methane tanker of this type, which can carry up to 266,000 m3 of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Port Authority’s Chairman, Enagás’ General Manager of Infrastructures and other company directors, along with the Chairman of Shell España and various customers attended the offloading..

The 345-metre long vessel Aamira, from Qatar, has five tanks, a beam of 52 metres and a draught of 12 metres. Her LNG storage capacity for transport is equivalent to the volume of over 100 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Enagás recently adapted the berths at its terminals in Barcelona and Cartagena to serve the Q-Flex and Q-Max, the latest generation of large methane tankers, which started to be built over the last decade.

These supertankers have been able to unload at the Barcelona plant since March this year. Prior to this, various studies and tests were carried out at the Enagás terminal in conjunction with the Port Authority, the piloting and docking providers and supply companies.

Part of this process involved the partial offloading of up to 140,000 m 3 of LNG from a number of Q-Flex tankers in April, May and June of this year.

[mappress]
LNG World News Staff, September 24, 2012