Gediminas Jotauta, Eimutis Gandramavičius, and Martynas Tamošaitis, AB Klaipėdos nafta, Lithuania, discuss the lessons learned regarding FSRU breakbulking and the preparation required to introduce this service into terminal operations.
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ver the past several years, the LNG industry has seen a steady growth of FSRU-based LNG import terminals unlocking new markets. The primary regasification demand comes in various forms – ensuring security of gas supply, meeting the demand for gas to power, increasing market competition, or replacing depleting gas fields. Soon after commissioning an additional phenomenon is being witnessed. After a year or two of operations, operators begin to investigate the scope of expansion and seek to introduce an additional service – LNG break-bulking into smaller cargoes. This was first pioneered in 2017 at Klaipeda LNG terminal and later replicated in other FSRU-based LNG terminals across the globe. Even though at first glance this service might seem like a simple cargo reload operation, on the contrary it has many different layers and aspects which must be taken into account from commercial and technical standpoints, so that it can be seamlessly integrated into overall terminal operations. In this article, AB Klaipėdos nafta will take a closer look and touch on a few specific aspects that must be considered before introducing such a service into terminal operations.
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