The Explorer, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), has completed an upgrade which has boosted the vessel’s sendout performance enabling it to reach a sendout capacity of 1.0 Bcf/d, what is ‘an unprecedented milestone for an FSRU’, as its owner Excelerate Energy claims.
The photo shows Explorer arriving at Jebel Ali LNG terminal in Dubai, where it is serving under a long-term charter with Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP).
DUSUP entered the agreement in 2014 to meet the increasing demand for natural gas in the emirate. Under the charter agreement, USA-headquartered Excelerate Energy upgraded and customized the Explorer according to DUSUP’s supply requirements. The Explorer entered dry-dock for its efficiency upgrades in October 2015 with the modifications being completed in December 2015 .
Explorer has been enhanced with the features such as high-pressure vaporizers and pumps aimed to increase regasification sendout capacity from 690 MMcf/d to 1 Bcf/d, dual-fuel diesel generator power module and an LNG bunker port which has been installed on the FSRU. The bunker port enables small-scale LNG offtakers to bunker LNG directly from the Explorer.
” (…) significant is that even though the Explorer was commissioned in 2008, with upgrades, she has achieved the highest sendout rate of any FSRU in the world,” Rob Bryngelson, president and CEO of Excelerate, points out.
FSRUs serve as a central hub for LNG storage, having the onboard capability to vaporize LNG and deliver natural gas through specially designed offshore and near-shore receiving facilities.
To find out more about the upgrade project, check out the video below:
Video Courtesy: Excelerate