South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has laid the keel for Excelerate Energy’s new floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).
US FSRU player Excelerate announced the keel-laying ceremony for the 170,000-cbm FSRU (Hull 3407) on Monday.
“This step represents the beginning of the assembly of the ship’s hull, which will come together over the next four months and be ready for launching this June,” Excelerate said.
In October 2022, Excelerate ordered this FSRU at HD Hyundai Heavy.
The US firm will pay about $332 million for the construction of the vessel.
HD Hyundai Heavy will deliver the unit to Excelerate by June 2026.
Excelerate said the FSRU will have a maximum regasification capacity of one billion standard cubic feet per day (1,000 MMscf/d).
According to Excelerate, the vessel will feature HD HHI’s proprietary LNG regasification system, dual-fuel engines, selective catalytic reduction system, boil-off gas management, and other technologies which will improve performance and efficiency while lowering emissions.
The vessel’s tanks will be fitted with GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment system.
Moreover, the unit will feature the world’s first H54DF HiMSEN engine.
Following delivery in 2026, Exclerate will have 11 FSRUs in its fleet.
Excelerate currently operates ten FSRUs, one of the world’s largest fleets of such vessels, and these units are located worldwide.
These FSRUs are located in Bangladesh, Finland, Brazil, Dubai, Pakistan, while one FSRU will start serving the second FSRU-based LNG import terminal in Germany’s Wilhelmshaven later this year.
Exclerate also plans to buy an LNG carrier this year.