Tideland Wins Another Angola LNG Deal

Tideland Signal, the international specialist in aids to marine navigation, has won a further order to supply eight of its SB-2200 polyethylene buoys complete with MaxLED-200 lanterns to the new LNG port at Soyo in the north of Angola.

Like the previous order, the new buoys will be used in marking the approach channel and are supplied complete with mooring chains and sinkers.  Solar-powered and with a range of 7NM, some of the lanterns are also equipped with SRM satellite monitoring units.

This supply follows a previous order for both SB2200 and SB138P buoys, which were deployed in the earlier phases of the LNG terminal construction. The installation was designed in collaboration with Boskalis, which was responsible for civil engineering aspects of the project, including the dredging and reclamation of 140 hectares of land.  In addition to supplying the aids to navigation, Tideland supervised the installation of the buoys.

Tideland’s SB-2200 buoy features an asymmetric twin keel hull design that enables it to remain upright in fast currents, optimising the performance of the lantern beam for range and visibility.  It is manufactured from rotationally moulded polyethylene with a solid core of expanded polystyrene foam, making it virtually unsinkable as the integral foam core prevents excessive water ingress in the event of a collision.

The MaxLED-200 is one of a range of compact, long-range LED lanterns  and is capable of a range in excess of 10 nautical miles (>16 NM @ T=0.85) and yet is less than 12 inches high (11.45 in or 290.77mm), weighing only 10.5 lbs (4.8 kg).  Construction is of rugged, corrosion-resistant marine aluminium designed to withstand the most severe environments, from ice-bound latitudes to the tropics.

The Angola LNG project is the country’s largest single investment ever and utilizes natural gas that would otherwise be flared off.  Angola LNG Limited, which is responsible for construction and implementation, is a consortium of  Sonangol Gás Natural (36.4%), Chevron (36.4 %), BP (13.6%) and Total (13.6 %).  The offshore gas will be collected and transported to an onshore liquefaction plant located near the town of Soyo in  Zaire Province.  In addition to reducing flaring and greenhouse gas emissions, the project facilitates continued offshore oil field development, and contributes to the development of a future natural gas-based industry within Angola.

The Angola LNG Project is expected to produce 5.2 million tones of LNG per year, processing and treating up to 125 million cubic feet per day of gas for use in industrial projects. First LNG production is expected by early 2012 to be delivered into the U.S. natural gas market via the Clean Energy re-gasification terminal near Pascagoula, Mississippi which is under development by Gulf LNG Energy LLC.

Approved to ISO 9001:2008, Tideland Signal  Limited is a British-based member of the Tideland group of companies, which specializes in the design and manufacture of aids to marine navigation.  The Tideland group is independently owned and has its headquarters in Houston, Texas.

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LNG World News Staff, April 18, 2012; Image: Tideland