Gate to increase LNG ship loading flow rates

The Gate LNG terminal in the Dutch port of Rotterdam is planning an investment that will see it loading standard size LNG carriers of around 180,000 cubic meters capacity in less than three days. 

Gate terminal, owned by Gasunie and Vopak, plans to increase ship loading flow rate at its jetties for large ships from the current 2300 cubic meters per hour to 4000 cubic meters per hour, Vopak said in its statement.

The investment entails a debottlenecking of the pipeline systems used to deliver LNG from the storage tank to the ship and can be installed without a plant shutdown.

The construction will start in the summer of 2018 and will be finished after the summer of 2019, the statement reads.

Loading of LNG in ships and transshipment activities in North West Europe have increased over the years. The liquid spot market of LNG leads to quick successions of loading and unloading periods. This dynamic of the LNG market requires more flexibility and efficient operations.

In a recent interview with LNG World News, terminal’s commercial manager Stefaan Adriaens said a construction of a fourth jetty, the second small-scale dedicated jetty that would cater to the growing interest in small-scale services.

Gate terminal, owned by Gasunie and Vopak, is one of Europe’s largest LNG terminals. It consists of three 180,000-cbm storage tanks and has an annual regasification capacity of 12 Bcm – equal to around 180 cargoes per year.