Africa’s first FLNG project nearing completion

With the recent deliveries of two giant FLNG units to Australia, the Ichthys Venturer and the Prelude, the next unit is destined for Africa’s Cameroon.

Namely, Golar LNG has informed that the conversion of the Hilli Episeyo tanker to an FLNG unit is nearing completion and “no major issues have been identified.”

The Hilli Episeyo will be used be used for the development of Cameroon’s Kribi offshore fields, with Gazprom set to buy the produced LNG.

Once completed, this will be the first FLNG unit to start production in Africa. Moreover, it has been said that the Hilli Episeyo is the world’s first converted FLNG unit, as those previously built, such as Petronas’ PFLNG1, the Ichthys Venturer, and the Prelude, have all been built from scratch.

According to an update by Golar last week, all equipment has been installed and pre-commissioning work is well underway.

Golar said it was focused on doing as much testing as possible in the yard in Singapore and at anchorage in order to minimise the risk of issues being encountered in Cameroon. The extra days spent in Singapore, where the FLNG is being converted by Keppel, are expected to reduce the time required for commissioning on site.

The Hilli Episeyo is scheduled to leave Singapore for Cameroon at the end of September or beginning of October. LNG bunkering has been booked for mid-September.

“The mooring system has been installed in Cameroon and is ready for hook up of Hilli. All going well, the voyage between Singapore and Cameroon is expected to take 32 to 40 days allowing Golar to tender its notice of readiness during the first half of November.

“The customer remains on track with its scope of works and the Hilli conversion currently remains materially under budget,” Golar said.