Chinese shipbuilder Wison New Energies has launched and named the hull of Italian energy company Eni’s first floating LNG production unit newbuilding for the Republic of Congo.
Eni said on Saturday the 2.4-mtpa capacity Nguya FLNG unit had been floated at what is Wison’s Nantong yard.
The Nguya FLNG, which is 350-metres long with a 60-metre beam and 35-metre depth, will be deployed offshore near Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, and used to monetise the gas reserves in the Marine XII block.
It will be anchored at a water depth of about 40 metres and can store over 180,000 cbm of LNG and 45,000 cbm of LPG.
The company said the newbuilding will complement the existing 0.6-mtpa Tango FLNG (built 2017) unit, which has been operational on site since December 2023.
A first cargo was exported from the project in February.
The combination of the two will bring the total liquefaction capacity of the Congo LNG project to 3 mtpa by the end of 2025, Eni said.
Guido Brusco, Eni chief operating officer for global natural resources, said: “We have been the first to believe in the value of Congo’s gas, primarily for domestic power generation, and then for export.”
At the hull naming and launching ceremony, Wison said the event marks a significant milestone in the progress of the project.
Eni inked its newbuilding contract with the shipbuilder in December 2022.
The FLNG sector has been gathering momentum over the past two years.
There are now seven existing units in operation, one on site and awaiting start up and five more newbuildings or LNG carrier-to-FLNG conversions on order.
