A commissioning cargo of LNG has arrived at New Fortress Energy’s first floating storage and regasification unit-based terminal in Brazil in preparation for firing up the new import facility.
Kpler data shows the TMS Cardiff Gas-controlled, 174,000-cbm Cobia LNG (built 2021) is now lying off the 138,000-cbm Energos Winter (ex-Golar Winter, built 2004) at New Fortress’ Terminal Gas Sul off Santa Catarina state.
The Cobia LNG loaded a cargo at Sempra LNG’s Cameron LNG plant in the US on 21 January.
The shipment is expected to be transferred to the FSRU in the coming days.
New Fortress’ two FSRU-based Brazilian terminals have been severely delayed.
The company initially announced that its Santa Catarina FSRU, with a capacity of six million tonnes per annum and set to be linked to the existing gas distribution pipeline, would commence operations by the end of 2021.
In November, New Fortress announced it would charter in the FSRU Energos Winter from Energos Infrastructure stating that the facility will “start commercial operations ahead of schedule in January 2024”.
The FSRU is a relet from state energy giant Petrobras. The vessel is also one of the world’s first two LNG carrier-to-FSRU conversions, which was originally deployed to Brazil in 2009.
New Fortress has said it will take the FSRU on a direct long-term charter from Energos at the end of the relet period from Petrobras.
Energos is 80% owned by Apollo-managed funds, with New Fortress controlling the remaining 20%.
In addition to the Santa Catarina terminal, New Fortress is poised to initiate operations at its long-anticipated Barcarena terminal in Brazil, boasting a capacity of 5.9 mtpa.
This facility, which is backed by a 630-MW power plant, was originally due online in early 2022.
New Fortress plans to use the 160,000-cbm LNG carrier Energos Celsius (built 2013) for this job, which has been converted into an FSRU in Singapore.
Kpler currently shows Energos Celsius as in ballast off New Fortress’ import terminal in Jamaica.
