Excelerate Energy L.P. continues to prove the commercial viability of Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfers of LNG with the successful completion of their 100th STS operation.
On March 29, 2011, Excelerate Energy’s regasification vessel Exquisite received a transfer of 126,881 cubic meters of LNG. The 100th STS transfer took place in Kuwait at the Mina Al-Ahmadi GasPort using the tandem LNG transfer system. Out of these 100 STS transfers, 55 STS transfers involved the use of flexible hoses where two ships where moored to each other.
Excelerate Energy implemented the world’s first commercial STS transfer of LNG on August 25, 2006 between the vessels Excelsior and Excalibur, transferring LNG while underway in the Gulf of Mexico. With the demand for LNG rising globally, STS transfers allow for further market reach in minimal time frames and with modest cost and provides significant strategic opportunities for product delivery.
Captain Mark K. Lane, Excelerate Energy’s Senior Vice President of Operations stated, “ The commercial ship-to-ship transfer of LNG has reached a status of industry acceptance based on Excelerate Energy’s pioneering achievements to date. Our activities have been conducted with complete transparency to regulatory bodies and LNG industry participants over the past seven years, allowing us to address any concerns and to ensure broad industry acceptance .”
STS transfers have been commercially accepted and proven in a wide range of environments including open ocean locations and protected bodies of water at locations between the LNG load ports and the market delivery points. Additionally, STS transfers have been implemented in regular commercial service at multiple GasPort locations worldwide, where conventional LNG carriers moor to Excelerate Energy’s Energy Bridge Regasification Vessels (EBRVs) and transfer cargos into the EBRVs providing uninterrupted baseload service at the market delivery point.
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Source: Excelerate Energy, April 6, 2011;