Houlder, Wärtsilä and Trelleborg develop jettyless LNG transfer concept

Marine design consultancy Houlder, LNG Infrastructure provider Wärtsilä and hose supplier Trelleborg have jointly developed a new mid-scale LNG distribution infrastructure. 

Speaking of the joint development, Gianpaolo Benedetti, Houlder’s LNG business development manager said the system, to be formally unveiled at a conference in Tokyo at the start of April, is a floating transfer terminal that takes “the jetty to the LNG vessel, rather than have the LNG vessel come to the jetty.”

The transporting and bunkering of LNG are becoming increasingly important to the energy strategies of archipelagos and coastal communities across the world. Such communities, however, have limited appetite for major civil works required for new harbors, quaysides and jetties due to environmental sensitivities and lack of readily available investment.

As the EPC contractor, Wärtsilä, noted that the newly developed concept enables small- and mid-scale LNG deliveries to locations with no existing infrastructure, where the water is too shallow for ships or a jetty is otherwise impractical.

The floating transfer terminal comprises a self-propelled barge that shuttles to and from LNG vessels moored at up to 800 meters offshore.

The barge provides a base for a Houlder transfer system developed with KLAW LNG. It is a hybrid hose handling system that facilitates a safe and secure connection with the LNG vessel.

Trelleborg Cryoline LNG floating hoses are then used to transfer of LNG and boil-off gas between the barge and any shore facility.

As an EPC contractor, Wärtsilä sees this new concept enabling even smarter total LNG terminal solutions for various types of small-scale LNG opportunities, where a jetty would be an expensive and time-consuming solution to execute.