World-leading ship-to-ship (STS) transfer provider, James Fisher Fendercare (JF Fendercare) – part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has successfully completed the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) STS transfer off the coast of Southwold, UK, for an energy major, delivering a safe and efficient solution.
JF Fendercare demonstrated its extensive LNG STS experience, applying industry-leading safety and quality standards to the highly complex operation. Due to the extremely low temperatures of LNG cargo – at -162C, safe and reliable operations are of paramount importance. With meticulous operation coordination from its specialist operations team, all pre-operational studies, compatibility assessments, detailed risk assessments and dynamic mooring analyses were conducted to support the STS transfer.
Ruth Christie, product line director at JF Fendercare said:
“Conducting the first LNG STS operation off Southwold was a great achievement and testament to the close partnerships we have with our customers, providing operational expertise – we’re delighted at the feedback received.
“The operation was delivered successfully and I’m proud of the effort and professionalism shown by our team, with meticulous planning, co-ordination and communication, which supported the safe delivery of this operation.”
The operation was to support a gas-up / cool-down service for an LNG carrier coming out of dry dock in readiness for her next voyage. This specialised operation involves removing the inert gas from the vessel’s storage tanks by transferring LNG to slowly reduce their temperature, to -162C, so that the tanks are ready to safely load new cargo.
JF Fendercare also worked closely with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) to gain all the necessary permissions from local authorities and the entire operation was overseen by JF Fendercare’s highly experienced LNG STS Superintendents.
As the industry’s leading global LNG ship-to-ship provider, we’re committed to supporting the energy transition and growing demand for cleaner sources of fuel. Our specialist ship-to-ship transfer services help to support the sector’s sustainability goals by reducing emissions related to port congestion, in many cases significantly reducing overall transit time, and offer greater efficiencies and operational flexibility for our customers.
JF Fendercare’s growing capabilities and global infrastructure enables ship-to-ship operations to be utilised by customers in a range of scenarios including trade and fleet optimisation, breaking and building bulk, as well at the gas-up and cool-down process for LNG vessels, to optimise cargos and reduce vessel and port costs. Protecting your people and assets across oceans -visit fendercare.com to find out more.
