Warren R. True
Chief Technology Editor-LNG/Gas Processing
HOUSTON, May 6 -- The second of three first-generation combined LNG regasification-tanker vessels was delivered to owner GKFF Ltd. on Thursday, May 4, according to Jon Cook, vice-president for Excelerate Energy LLC, Houston.
The Excellence joins sister vessel Excelsior, owned by Exmar NV, Antwerp.
Excelerate Energy simultaneously took the vessel under long-term charter for delivery of LNG to its new Gulf Gateway Energy Bridge deepwater port, an LNG terminal moored on Block 603, West Cameron Area, South Addition, 116 miles off Louisiana (OGJ, Apr. 18, 2005, Newsletter). Cook told OGJ that Excelerate Energy was "still working on finalizing the first cargo deal" and had no details.
Both vessels were built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., South Korea. Like Excelsior, Excellence is a 138,000-cu m combined LNG tanker and regasification vessel that will tie up to the new submerged turret buoy and send vaporized LNG into an existing pipeline infrastructure for eventual delivery ashore.
A third innovative vessel, Excelerate, is scheduled for delivery by DSME to combined ownership of Exmar and Excelerate Energy in October 2006.
Excelerate says each vessel is equipped with six shell-and-tube heat exchangers and six high-pressure LNG pumps and can send out as much as 690 MMcfd in an open-loop regas configuration or up to 450 MMcfd for a closed-loop operation.