Partners Aim to Enhance LNG Transfer Efficiency

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation and Australasian engineering consultancy Synertec have formed a strategic partnership to meet demand for more accurate and efficient liquefied natural gas (LNG) custody transfer. Under the new agreement, Trelleborg will distribute Synertec’s LNG custody transfer system across its global sales network.

LNG custody transfer, the transfer of the ownership of LNG from one organization to other, has long involved fiscal risk given significant uncertainties in traditional tank measurement. Quantities are invoiced in units of transferred LNG based on a calculation of volume, density, and gross caloric value. However, measurement inaccuracies have a significant financial impact for both exporters and importers. For instance, just a one percent error in LNG transferred can result in a significant loss of revenue due to misallocation during custody transfer.

Synertec’s automated custody transfer system, which is ISO 6974, ISO 8943 and GIIGNL (2017) compliant, ensures the precise measurement of loaded LNG, removing the potential for substantial financial losses across the industry and the need for extensive laboratory testing. Used across many high-profile LNG projects across Australasia, the transfer system is a skid mounted module suitable for all LNG applications.

Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, said, “With more LNG capacity coming on stream year on year, we are seeing increasing demand not just for large scale transportation of cargoes but also for more FSRU applications and, of course, the growth of LNG fueling for marine vessels. All of these applications have one key requirement in common – the safe, efficient and timely transfer of LNG from one tank system to another.

“One key critical element in achieving this is the interface between ship and port, on land and at sea – a space that like Trelleborg, Synertec specializes within. The ship to shore interface demands that we, across the industry, come together and use all of our skills and talents as technologists and innovators to make it happen, which is exactly what our strategic partnership with Synertec aims to do.

“There are clear synergies between the two companies, from our combined technical expertise to our shared commitment to optimizing the interface, which is critical to supporting the business model of every transfer operation. Working with Synertec, we’re able to provide our customers across the globe with an enhanced LNG transfer operation that does exactly that.”

Michael Carroll, Managing Director of Synertec, said, “We’ve built a strong reputation across Australasia and now, boosted by the global reach of Trelleborg, we look forward to meeting the global demand for more accurate and efficient LNG custody transfer.”