For decades, the number of large offshore resource discoveries has outstripped the onshore sector, and the significance of floating production and storage remains a distinct growth opportunity, despite oil price volatility, says Class NK, stand 4D155.
According to Clarkson’s, by 2019 the global FLNG vessel capacity will amount to 44 million tonnes per year, about 7.5% of the industry’s total capacity, says the firm.
Within these figures, Asia remains a key driver: according to the latest report by energy analysts Infield, Asia will account for 18% of forecast global offshore expenditure between 2015 and 2019. South East Asia in particular is seen as a hub for the LNG market.
As of April 2015, the Petronas PFLNG-1 plant was 91% complete and expected to begin production in March 2016, whilst Shell’s Prelude Project is set to enter service in 2017 and the Murphy/Petronas PFLNG-2 due to be operational in 2018.
Elsewhere, the Pacific Rubiales project of a Floating Liquefaction Regasification and Storage Unit (FLRSU) in Columbia should also enter into service next year.
Again, based on recent agreements, Mitsui, MOL and Marubeni will invest in Tartaruga MV29 B.V. ("MV29"), a Dutch company established by MODEC for the deployment of the FPSO for Brazilian state oil company Petrobras, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A..
Given the growing need for clear technical guidelines for the construction and survey of offshore facilities, classification societies have increasingly been asked to participate in the early stages of design and to support the early development of the new technologies for the offshore market.
With 59 LNG carriers currently on its register, ClassNK is expanding its presence in the sector through its support of innovative offshore projects. The recent creation of a Natural Resources and Energy Department as a separate entity within the business has given new focus to ClassNK’s activities in this field.
Based on the Project Team established in 2009, the department has been making strategic use of the society’s global network since it began operating in 2011. Team members include not only LNG and offshore experts, but also machinery experts, material and equipment experts, senior researchers and top level management from NK offices in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
The scope of the department’s activities extends from joint research and development projects with offshore industry partners to the establishment of design guidelines, plan approvals, surveys, and operational support.
It is this team which oversaw the recent Approval-In-Principle (AIP) of the world’s first H2/CO2 FPSO design developed by MHI and Chiyoda Corporation, the first such facility to receive this acknowledgement.
The team has also being involved in the development of a MODEC/TEC Micro-GTL (gas to liquid) plant on an FPSO, applicable to small to medium gas reserve development (floating-GTL). After completion of the first module, the system has been tested at the Petrobras Lubnor refinery in Fortaleza, Brazil, before its installation on an FPSO.
The department also takes responsibility for ClassNK’s Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities for LNG/LPG Production, Storage, and Offloading, released in 2011, which now include FSRUs as well as FPSOs.
As efforts to commercialize FLNG gain momentum, ClassNK is also demonstrating commitment to more forward-looking technologies. As part of a joint R&D project led by Tokyo-based MODEC and leading plant manufacturer Toyo Engineering, ClassNK contributed to the risk and safety assessment of the LiBro® FLNG concept, a new floating system which has the potential to greatly increase the scope of the offshore gas development, especially for small and mid-size fields.
“In line with the more traditional classification activities, ClassNK is taking a comprehensive approach to supporting developments in the offshore sector,” says Hayato Suga, Operating Officer and General Manager of the Natural Resources and Energy Department and who is currently serving as Chairman of the Tanker Structure Co-operative Forum (TSCF). “With the Natural Resources and Energy Department, we have the opportunity to combine our experience and expertise in the oil and gas sector with highly sophisticated and targeted R&D and contribute even further to the growth and development of the offshore sector.”