The 2009-built 145,000-cbm, FSRU Neptune, which will serve the Deutsche ReGas LNG import terminal, has arrived in Germany’s port of Lubmin.
Deutsche ReGas, led by Ingo Wagner and Stephan Knabe, chartered the FSRU from French energy giant TotalEnergies.
Hoegh LNG Partners, now 100 percent owned by Hoegh LNG, has a 50 percent stake in this unit, MOL owns 48.5 percent, and Tokyo LNG Tanker has 1.5 percent.
In November, the vessel arrived in the Mukran port on the island of Ruegen, where Deutsche ReGas prepared the FSRU in cooperation with the port prior to the unit heading to Lubmin to start providing regasification services.
This included reducing the FSRUs draught from 9.6 meters to around 5.2 meters due to shallow waters in Lubmin and fitting the unit with a pipe adapter to ensure a precise connection of the FSRU to the onshore system.
According to its AIS data, the FSRU was on Friday at 13.00pm local time nearing its location in the port escorted by tugs. It is expected to arrive at the jetty later on Friday.
Launch of the facility still not clear
Besides the FSRU, the 137,814-cbm LNG carrier, Seapeak Hispania, is also on its way to Germany and should arrive next week. It previously loaded a cargo at the Idku plant in Egypt, VesselsValue data shows.
This LNG carrier is expected to serve as a floating storage unit for the project.
Smaller carriers would take LNG from the FSU and deliver it to the FSRU due to draft restrictions in the area.
The small LNG/ethylene carrier, Coral Furcata, operated by Dutch firm Anthony Veder, also arrived near Mukran earlier this month.
LNG Prime contacted Deutsche ReGas for a comment regarding the arrival of the FSRU and the FSU, but we did not receive a reply by the time this article was published.
Originally, the firm planned to launch the project on December 1.
However, the firm said in a update released on November 29 that the timeline of the project could change as it still awaits to receive approvals from the local government.
Depending on the approvals, Deutsche Regas said it still could launch the project by the end of December.
Second FSRU terminal
The Lubmin facility could become the second operational FSRU-based terminal in Germany.
The arrival of the FSRU in Lubmin comes just one day after Uniper welcomed the 170,000-cbm FSRU Hoegh Esperanza in Wilhelmshaven.
Uniper plans to open the first FSRU-based LNG terminal in Germany on December 17.
Germany has in total backed the charters of five FSRUs while the Lubmin facility is the first private project.
German energy firm RWE is also expecting to receive the first commissioning cargo at the Elbhafen FSRU-based LNG import terminal in Brunsbuettel in January.
This government-backed terminal will also feature Hoegh’s vessel, Hoegh Gannet.