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The 380-meter-long 2.4 mtpa FLNG was located offshore near Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, on Tuesday after arriving there last week, according to its AIS data.
PACC Offshore Services Holdings (POSH) was tasked by Wison New Energies, the FLNG’s builder, to tow the unit from Lvsi, Qidong, China to approximately 50 kilometers offshore from Pointe-Noire, in water depth of about 33 meters.
POSH deployed three towing tugs to tow the FLNG from China to Congo, while an additional tug will be deployed in Congo for station-keeping during the hook-up of the FLNG to the SSY mooring system.
In August, Italian energy firm Eni hosted the sail-away ceremony for the Nguya FLNG unit in Shanghai, China.
Eni said at the time that work on the subsea infrastructure required to launch Phase 2 of the Congo LNG project is progressing on schedule, enabling mooring and startup by the end of 2025.
China’s WNE won a contract from Eni in December 2022 to build the FLNG and officially started work on the project in January 2023.
Last year, WNE also completed the installation of all four SPB LNG tanks and two LPG tanks on Eni’s Congo FLNG.
The FLNG will be able to store over 180,000 cubic meters of LNG.
WNE also incorporated Chart’s IPSMR liquefaction technology.
The shipbuilder will also work to commission the unit offshore Congo.
The unit is set to significantly boost LNG production as part of the Congo LNG project in the Marine XII concession.
Tango FLNG, the first unit with a capacity of 0.6 mtpa, began production in December 2023.
Together, the two units will have a capacity of approximately 3 mtpa.
First LNG cargo in early 2026
With the arrival of the Nguya FLNG and the introduction of gas into the new offshore infrastructure system, Eni announced the start-up – ahead of the planned schedule – of Phase 2 of the Congo LNG project, in a statement later on Tuesday.
Eni expects to export the first LNG cargo in early 2026.
Congo LNG Phase 2 features three production platforms as well as the Scarabeo 5 unit dedicated to gas treatment and compression, and the Nguya FLNG for liquefaction and export.
Phase 2 has come on stream ahead of the project schedule, just 35 months after construction of the Nguya FLNG began, setting a new benchmark within the industry for execution speed and efficiency, Eni claims.
(This article was updated with a statement by Eni.)