Golar LNG selects Chinese yard for floating production vessel conversion

Golar LNG has entered into an engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) agreement with Chinese shipbuilder CIMC Raffle for a new floating LNG production vessel (FLNG) with an annual liquefaction capacity of 3.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum (MTPA).

Under the agreement with CIMC, Black and Veatch will perform detailed engineering and process design, specify and procure topside equipment, and provide commissioning support for the FLNG topsides and liquefaction process, similar to Black and Veatch’s role in the construction of Golar’s existing FLNG assets Hilli and Gimi.

The design of the new FLNG will be an evolution of the design of Hilli and Gimi. It will also be based on the conversion of an existing LNG carrier to an FLNG.

The new design allows for a modularisation of the construction process as well as further efficiency and operability advances based on Golar LNG's learnings from previous experience on constructing and operating existing FLNG assets.

The project will utilise the Golar-owned LNG carrier Fuji LNG with a storage capacity of 148,500 cubic metres. The total EPC contract value is US$1.6 billion.

The new FLNG is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2027.