Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS), through its subsidiary PETRONAS LNG Ltd (PLL), strengthens its position as an LNG solutions provider through another successful completion of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) break bulking ship-to-ship (STS) transfer, recently held in Brunei Bay, PETRONAS says in a press release.
The break bulk operations saw the fully loaded Seri Bijaksana vessel carrying LNG cargo from Gladstone LNG, Australia, transferring smaller parcels onto two ‘daughter’ vessels for onward deliveries to different LNG terminals in Shanghai, China. The first cargo was transferred from the ‘mother’ vessel to an 80,000 m³ ‘daughter’ vessel, Arctic Spirit, while the second cargo transfer was done with another similar size ‘daughter’ vessel, Polar Spirit.
PETRONAS Vice President LNG Marketing & Trading Ahmad Adly Alias said: “The second STS operation by PETRONAS demonstrates the Company’s ability to respond to the changing landscape of LNG delivery and customers’ demand for customised solutions, at the same time supporting the growth of the LNG market in areas with limited operational parameters.”
The back-to-back break bulking STS transfers via Arctic Spirit and Polar Spirit vessels were completed in approximately 72 hours, manifesting a just-in-time (JIT) principle, driving the operational cost to the minimum level.
The completion of the STS was a collaborative effort with various stakeholders namely the Department of Ports and Harbour of Sabah, Sabah Ports Authority, Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd, Argo Engineering Sdn Bhd, Eastport Marine Sdn Bhd, MISC Bhd, Asian Supply Base Sdn Bhd, Teekay LNG Partners L.P., and Shenergy Group Co., Ltd.
In June 2018, PETRONAS completed its first STS operations at the same site in Brunei Bay, a location gazetted for STS operations due to its calm waters.