The floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit which will serve the BP-operated Greater Tortue Ahmeyim FLNG project has left Tenerife and is on its way to the GTA project site off the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal, according to project partner Kosmos Energy.
Kosmos said in its first quarter results report on Tuesday that “inspection and repair of the vessel’s fairleads is complete with the vessel now en route to the project site with mooring work to commence thereafter.”
“Hookup and commissioning of the FPSO remain on the critical path to first gas, expected in the third quarter of 2024 with first LNG expected in the fourth quarter of 2024,” Kosmos said.
According to is AIS data, the FPSO left Tenerife on May 5 and is expected to arrive at the GTA site later this week.
Kosmos confirmed in its 2023 results report in February the delay in the project’s commissioning saying that first LNG is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
The project’s FPSO unit left Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry’s yard in Qidong, China in January last year.
With eight processing and production modules, the FPSO will process around 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The gas supplies will then be transported by pipeline to the FLNG unit at the GTA hub where it will be cryogenically cooled in the vessel’s four liquefaction trains and stored before transfer to LNG carriers.
FLNG
Golar LNG’s FLNG Gimi, which was converted from a 1975-built Moss LNG carrier with a storage capacity of 125,000 cbm, departed Seatrium’s yard in Singapore on November 19.
Golar announced in January the arrival of the 2.5 mtpa FLNG at the site. However, Golar and BP agreed that the FLNG “will proceed to moor offshore Tenerife while awaiting completion of the necessary preparatory activities,” Golar said at the time.
BP said in February that Gimi arrived at the site of the GTA project.
The unit is at the heart of the GTA Phase 1 development, operated by BP with partners, Kosmos, PETROSEN, and SMH.
Kosmos said in the update that the partnership is continuing to work with Golar to accelerate commissioning work of the unit.
Moreover, the subsea workscope is “progressing in line with expectations with the flowline installation now complete and final connection work ongoing,” Kosmos said.
In October last year, BP selected Swiss-based offshore contractor Allseas to complete the remaining subsea pipelay scope for the FLNG project, replacing previous contractor Houston-based McDermott.
Allseas said in February it has completed the infield pipelay scope for the project.