Offshore Energy: LR Supports Mozambique FLNG Project

Gabby DelGatto June 25, 2018

An artist's impression of the Coral South FLNG unit. Photo: © Lloyd's Register

The scope of work that LR is undertaking covers design, procurement, certification, construction, integration and commissioning, as well as providing classification services under a risk based inspection regime to the FLNG when it enters into service in 2022.

The Coral South field is being developed by Eni in Area Four of the Rovuma Basin, off the coast of Mozambique. The floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit will be Africa’s first floating gas facility. The size, quality and position of the field’s resources are set to transform Mozambique’s economy. The Coral South field contains approximately 450 billion cubic meters of gas.

The Coral South FLNG unit will be the world’s first ultra-deepwater FLNG, operating at a depth of 2,000m. It is expected to produce around 3.4 million tons of LNG per year. The FLNG will be about 430m long, 66m wide, and will weigh about 210,000 tons. It has a design life of 25 years.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) is providing project support through a range of services. LR has been the leading technical service provider to the gas supply chain for over 50 years and has experience in complex FLNG projects.

LR has been involved in the project since 2014, and was awarded a first Approval in Principle for the design in 2015. LR’s primary role in the project is to ensure that the FLNG operates safely, and to protect the safety of the workers onboard the unit, whose design is to be in accordance with most recognized industry standards.

LR will be heavily involved throughout the entire supply chain. The project is currently in a detailed engineering design phase, with the bulk of design work happening in Korea, France and Japan.

All the equipment, systems and machinery that make up the topside plant on the FLNG will be certified by LR. To do this LR will be holding more than 500 contracts with equipment vendors directly and will be delivering services in all vendor locations. This will result in all the equipment arriving in Korea certified by LR to agreed codes and standards.

Upon completion of construction, the FLNG will be towed from Korea to Mozambique and LR will be in attendance to witness the hook up of the mooring system and to survey the commissioning of the topside plant on station. LR site surveyors will confirm that the unit is installed and commissioned in accordance with its rules and the industry codes and standards that it is designed to.