Golar LNG has received a force majeure notice from a BP unit seeking to delay taking delivery of the Gimi FLNG by a year.
The floating LNG facility will serve BP’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal.
Previously, BP planned to take delivery of the FLNG in 2022 and charter it for 20 years to liquefy gas from its Tortue project.
Howevher, BP is now expecting a one-year delay on the Tortue project due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
BP currently sees no possibility in reducing the duration of the new timing, according to a statement from Golar’s unit Gimi MS Corp on Tuesday.
Golar said it had asked BP to clarify how a force majeure event discovered as recently as the end of March could immediately impact the schedule by an estimated one year.
“Based on the information received as of today the company is engaging in clarification and an active dialogue with BP to establish the duration of the delay and the extent to which this has been caused by the claimed force majeure event,” it said.
Golar also said it started talks with its main building contractor, Keppel Shipyard, to re-schedule activities in order to reduce and reprofile its capital spending commitments for 2020 and 2021.
The Gimi FLNG is being converted from a Moss LNG carrier to a floating production unit.
The FLNG will be able to produce an average of 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year.