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Poland’s state-owned LNG terminal operator Gaz-System announced the launch of the 170,000-cbm FSRU (Hull No. 3515) in a statement on Tuesday.
Although the launched vessel already resembles a completed unit, the contractors still have a lot of complex work to perform that is related to the outfitting and integration of the process systems, Gaz-System noted.
One of the most important stages will be the installation of the membrane system in the LNG tanks, responsible for the safe storage of liquefied natural gas, and the installation of the regasification module enabling the conversion of LNG back into a gaseous state.
Gaz-System said the coming months will involve the startup and integration of the vessel’s systems, including connection to shore power, the startup of generators and boilers, and tests of the vessel’s power systems.
This will be followed by testing at sea and with gas to confirm the correct operation of the propulsion system, safety systems, and regasification plants under operational conditions.
The completed FSRU will arrive at the Gulf of Gdańsk at the end of 2027, and the commencement of regasification services is scheduled for the first quarter of 2028, Gaz-System said.
$364 million
HD Hyundai Heavy officially kicked off work on the unit in July last year and hosted the keel-laying ceremony in December.
In April 2024, Japan’s shipping giant MOL signed a long-term FSRU charter deal with Gaz-System for the LNG import terminal in Gdansk.
The deal with MOL’s unit White Eagle Energy is for 15 years with the possibility of further extension.
Based on the charter agreement, Gaz-System also has the right to purchase the FSRU, which is worth approximately $364 million.
Poland’s Orlen previously booked the entire 6.1 bcm per year of regasification capacity at the FSRU-based facility.
In addition to this unit, Gaz-System plans to install a second FSRU as part of the project.
Onshore part
Gaz-System also said that work is progressing on the onshore part of the FSRU-based proiject in Poland.
“Over the last few days, the TBM arrived in Gorki Zachodnie near Gdaask, where it will bore a more than one-kilometer-long microtunnel to accommodate the offshore gas pipeline being constructed for the terminal,” the company said.
The tunnel will run beneath the coastal forest, the dunes, the beach, and the seabed of the Gulf of Gdansk, enabling connection of the terminal to the national gas transmission system.
In the coming months, major construction work will also begin on the FSRU terminal jetty in the Gulf of Gdansk.
In addition, work on the onshore gas pipelines along the Gdaask-Gustorzyn route is also “well advanced.”
“All elements of the investment project – from the offshore infrastructure to the onshore transmission network – are being carried out in parallel and on schedule,” Gaz-System said.
