Shuttle tankers are a key part of Equinor's infrastructure. They form a flexible pipeline to keep the oil flowing from its offshore production facilities.
“If we don't have the operational reliability of the shuttle tankers, we may need to shut down the oil well production. We should never do that,” said Ann-Elisabeth Serck-Hanssen, the company’s senior vice-president of asset management.
The fact Equinor opted to be a trailblazer by commissioning the first ever LNG dual-fuel shuttle tanker is seen as proof that it has complete faith in the reliability of the technology and the LNG fuel-supply infrastructure.
The company has eight shuttle tankers operating on the Norwegian continental shelf.
A major fleet-renewal programme is underway with AET Tankers and Teekay each set to provide two LNG dual-fuel tankers on long-term contracts that will replace older tonnage that has now reached the company’s 20-year age limit.
Kjetil Johnsen, Equinor’s vice president of shipping, described the new ships — due for delivery in early 2020 — as the new generation of shuttle tankers and the most complex every built.
“They are very specialised tankers, with dynamic positioning capability," he said. "This technology, together with the offloading technology, has developed over the years. But it is not only that. The ships require specialised crew to do these things.
“There is not a spot market for this kind of ship. That's why it's especially important for us to work close with the key owners and operators that we think are capable not only of building and maintaining this type of vessel, but also operating them.”
Equinor also has two conventional-fuel shuttle tankers under construction at South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries for delivery in 2020. Norway's Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers is the owner of these ships, which will be employed in Brazil, where the gas infrastructure is still not suitable for the use of LNG as a fuel.
“A total of six new shuttle tankers are coming, which for us is very significant,” Johnsen concluded.
