Excelerate, Equinor Conduct 1st STS LNG Transfer in The Bahamas

Excelerate Energy and Equinor Energy completed the first-ever ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in The Bahamas on February 7, 2019.

The STS transfer was carried out using Excelerate’s 150,900 cbm floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) Exemplar and Equinor’s 142,759 cbm LNG carrier Arctic Voyager.

A full LNG cargo was transferred using the double-banked LNG transfer system while moored at Equinor’s South Riding Point storage and transshipment terminal, strategically located for storage and transshipment of crude, products and LNG, Excelerate said.

“Excelerate conducted the industry’s first commercial STS transfer of LNG in 2007, and since then, STS transfers have been completed and proven safe in a wide range of environments, now including The Bahamas,” Daniel Bustos, Excelerate’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented.

Excelerate recently completed its 1,500th commercial STS transfer on February 3, 2019, at the Engro Elengy Terminal in Port Qasim, Pakistan.

To date, the company has successfully transferred over 170,900,000 cubic meters of LNG using its STS protocol – of the 1,500 operations, over 1,300 have been with third-party vessels.