The BW Singapore floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), moored 8.5 kilometers off Punta Marina since 28 February, is scheduled to commence commercial operations in early May. The timeline was confirmed by Snam CEO Stefano Venier during a visit to the offshore terminal by Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, and Michele de Pascale, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region.
The facility received its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. on 3 April, delivered by the tanker Flex Artemis, initiating commissioning activities.
Venier stated, "We are not only keeping on schedule, we are also showing that this can go hand in hand with environmental protection and monitoring.”
Snam acquired the BW Singapore unit in July 2022. The terminal has an annual regasification capacity of 5 billion cubic meters, matching that of the Italis LNG terminal in Piombino. Upon its operational start, Italy’s total regasification capacity will increase to 28 billion cubic meters per year, equivalent to the volume imported from Russia in 2021. This will cover 45% of Italy’s domestic gas demand.
In 2024, LNG accounted for 25% of Italy’s gas demand, with 150 ships from approximately 10 countries docking at four regasification terminals. In the first quarter of 2025, 45 gas tankers from six countries arrived.
The Ravenna project, with a total investment exceeding one billion euros, employed up to 1,200 workers during peak construction. Snam projects annual operational costs of 20-30 million euros for technical-nautical services, platform management, and environmental monitoring.
The project utilized existing infrastructure where possible, electrified applicable consumption, and employed trenchless pipeline installation to limit coastal impact. Environmental monitoring included 70,000 parameters onshore and 20,000 offshore, involving over 20 external companies, three universities, and ten laboratories.
Snam S.p.A. is an Italian energy infrastructure company headquartered in San Donato Milanese, Milan. Founded in 1941 as Società Nazionale Metanodotti, it operates primarily in natural gas transportation, storage, and regasification. Snam manages a pipeline network of approximately 32,000 kilometers in Italy and holds stakes in international gas infrastructure. The company has expanded its regasification capabilities in recent years, owning or operating multiple terminals, including the BW Singapore FSRU and the Italis LNG terminal in Piombino.
BW Group is a global maritime company based in Singapore, with a history dating back to 1955 when it was founded as World-Wide Shipping in Hong Kong by Sir Y.K. Pao. It rebranded to BW in 2005 after acquiring Bergesen, a Norwegian shipping firm, in 2003. BW Group operates in shipping, floating gas infrastructure, and deepwater oil and gas production, managing a fleet of over 180 vessels, including LNG carriers and floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs). BW LNG, a division of BW Group, supplied the BW Singapore FSRU to Snam and specializes in LNG infrastructure solutions.
Flex LNG Ltd. is a shipping company focused on the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Incorporated in 2006 and headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, it operates a fleet of modern LNG carriers. Flex LNG owns the Flex Artemis, the tanker that delivered the first LNG cargo to the BW Singapore terminal.