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The pipe rack modules, transported by the heavy cargo vessel BigLift Baffin, are the first large-scale modular components to arrive at the site for installation.
Moreover, they are fully completed structural steel frameworks that house and support piping carrying liquefied natural gas from the facility’s liquefaction unit to the floating storage tanks and loading facility.
These modules were built and shipped by China’s Qingdao McDermott Wuchuan (QMW), a joint venture consisting of McDermott and China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
QMW will build 19 modules, some weighing in excess of 10,000 metric tonnes, for Woodfibre LNG.
2025 and 2026
Woodfibre LNG said that the modules will arrive at its site throughout the rest of 2025 and into 2026. They range in size from a 126-tonne pipe rack to an almost 11,000-tonne liquefaction unit that covers roughly the same amount of space as a football field.
Also, the modules will now be offloaded at the Woodfibre LNG facility through the project’s newly completed marine offloading facility, a purpose-built offload dock designed to handle the delivery of large modules throughout the construction phase.
Following offloading, the modules will be moved into place and mounted on their permanent foundations.
“This is a huge milestone for the Woodfibre LNG project as it’s the start of our facility going vertical – where people will really start to see the facility take shape,” said Luke Schauerte, CEO of Woodfibre LNG.
“But it’s also bigger than that. These first modules are a significant step forward in diversifying Canada’s energy export market, providing global customers with responsibly produced energy and ensuring Canadians receive maximum benefit for their resources,” he said.
Modular construction
While construction on-site began in September 2023, the project has adopted a modular construction approach to enhance efficiency and meet its construction timeline.
The facility, which will have a capacity of 2.1 mtpa and storage of about 250,000 cbm, is expected to be completed in 2027.
In November 2021, Woodfibre LNG awarded the engineering, procurement, fabrication, and construction (EPFC) contract to McDermott.
After that, the LNG terminal developer issued a notice to proceed to McDermott in April 2022 to start work on its LNG terminal, while QMW started building the first module for Woodfibre LNG in 2023.