Fendercare conducts first LNG ship-to-ship transfer off UK

Ship-to-ship (STS) transfer provider, James Fisher Fendercare (JF Fendercare), has successfully completed the first?LNG STS transfer?offshore Southwold, UK, on behalf of an an energy major.

JF Fendercare claimed that it had demonstrated its extensive LNG STS experience, applying high safety and quality standards to the highly complex operation.

Due to the extremely low temperatures of the cargo with meticulous operation co-ordination from its specialist operations team, all pre-operational studies, compatibility assessments, detailed risk assessments and dynamic mooring analyses, were conducted to support the operation.

Ruth Christie , JF Fendercare’s Product Line Director 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,” she said.

The STS was undertaken to support a gas-up/cool-down service for an LNGC, which had recently left drydock.?

It involved removing the inert gas from the vessel’s storage tanks by transferring LNG to slowly reduce its temperature, to -162 deg C, so that the tanks would be ready to safely load a new cargo.

JF Fendercare worked closely with the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to gain all the necessary permissions from local authorities and the entire operation was overseen by JF Fendercare’s LNG STS superintendents.

The specialist?STS transfer services?help to support the shipping’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 customers, the company claimed.

STS operations can be utilised by customers for a range of scenarios, including trade and fleet optimisation, breaking and building bulk, as well as the gas-up and cool-down processes for LNGCs, to optimise cargoes and reduce vessel and port costs.