A floating storage and regasification unit earmarked for Swan LNG’s new terminal in India has been chartered on a short-term basis by the developers of Ghana’s first import project.
A spokesman for Ghana's Tema LNG confirmed to TradeWinds that the 180,000-cbm Vasant 1 (built 2020) has been “engaged” for the project and is now en route to Ghana.
The vessel will operate as an interim FSRU in advance of the installation of the long-term replacement, which is currently expected to be on site next year, he said.
Key moment
“This is an important moment for the project that will ensure that Ghana can swiftly benefit from the introduction of the reliable and efficient supply of cost-effective LNG through the Tema terminal, aiding the transition to a greener energy future,” he added.
One broker report listed the FSRU has been fixed to the Helios Investment Partners-led project in the port of Tema, near Accra in the Gulf of Guinea, for a year at a rate of $20,000 per day.
A purpose-built 28,000-cbm barge-based floating regasification unit, the Torman 1, has already arrived in Tema for the project.
Under the original plan, LNG cargoes will be imported into a floating storage unit (FSU) and regasified on the barge before being sent ashore. But the Vasant 1 will now take on the role of the FSU.
Original candidate
The Vasant 1 was delivered last year. It was built to serve Swan’s 5 million tonnes per annum terminal at Jafrabad in Gujarat state but construction work on this had been set back due to two damaging cyclones and the FSRU was left trading on the spot market.
The fixture of the Vasant 1 leaves a question mark hanging over the NYK Line-controlled, 127,705-cbm LNG Flora (built 1993), which had been earmarked to work as a FSU for the Ghana project.
TradeWinds reported the selection of the Moss-type vessel for the Ghana project in late 2018.
The vessel had been in lay-up but was moved into Singapore's Sembcorp Marine shipyard in December 2019 for conversion work and remains there today.
Databases show the LNG Flora’s name changed to Torman II.
But both Tema LNG and NYK Line indicated that the vessel is not on contract to the project.
