Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) launched the 393-metre-long hull of the Petronas Floating LNG2 (PFLNG2) at Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje Island, South Korea, on April 30, 2016. (Photo provided by Petronas)
KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has achieved another construction milestone for its second floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, despite reports that the project may be suspended or even cancelled due to spending cuts.
The national oil company said in a statement that the hull of Petronas Floating LNG2 (PFLNG2) was officially launched at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje Island, South Korea, on April 30.
It also quoted Petronas vice president of group project delivery (project delivery and technology) Zakaria Kasah as reaffirming the company’s commitment for the project.
The 393-metre-long hull was floated out from the Green Dock 3 to anchor at the quayside of the SHI shipyard signifying the near completion of the hull construction which began in June last year.
Petronas, together with JGC Group and SHI -- the consortium leading the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the PFLNG2 -- commemorated the milestone with a pledge to deliver the PFLNG2 on schedule with safety as top priority.
It should be noted that the project’s timeline has, however, been rephased. In March, Petronas advisor of global LNG project (project delivery and technology) Datuk Abdullah Karim told a press conference that the company would be delaying the PFLNG2 project to 2020 from 2018.
In the latest statement, Abdullah said the construction of PFLNG2 had tapped on the experiences from PFLNG1 to broaden the company’s floating LNG capabilities for deep-water operations.
“We take great pride in achieving this important milestone. The many lessons learnt from the design and construction of PFLNG1 have been applied to PFLNG2. I look forward to the successful completion of PFLNG2 and must thank the project team JGC (of Japan) and SHI for the good job,” he said.
Both PFLNG1 and PFLNG2 are anticipated to be significant game changers in the LNG business landscape as they pave the way to unlocking gas reserves from remote, marginal and stranded gas fields, which would otherwise be uneconomical to develop.
PFLNG2, to have a collective weight of 134,000 tonnes, will undertake the liquefaction, production and offloading processing of natural gas in the Rotan field, 240km offshore Sabah.
Designed for water depth of 500 metres to 1,500 metres deep and a processing capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), PFLNG2 will strengthen Petronas’ global LNG portfolio and add to its reputation as a preferred and reliable LNG supplier.
Zakaria, meanwhile, said the launch of the hull signified an achievement as well as the commitment by Petronas for the PFLNG2 project.
“The project has a good track record and safety performance that will ensure project deliveries are met as planned,” he added.
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