BP’s floating LNG facility enroute to West Africa

BP, a multinational oil and gas company, has announced that a floating processing center for liquefied natural gas (LNG) has set sail from a Chinese shipyard and is en route to the coast of West Africa. The floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) will travel 12,000 nautical miles to the coast of Mauritania and Senegal, where it will be anchored 25 miles offshore to process LNG.

The project, known as Greater Tortue Ahmeyim, is being hailed as a major milestone for BP’s LNG portfolio. The FPSO is equipped with eight production and processing components that have the capacity to process up to 500 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. This may not compare to the vast amounts of gas produced by U.S. shale basins, but it is a significant step forward for West Africa.

The FPSO is designed to purify the onboard gas by removing water and other impurities before it is sent to floating LNG terminals for delivery. LNG is becoming increasingly important as a reliable source of energy due to the geopolitical risks associated with other forms of natural gas. With many nations facing restrictions on their natural resources due to sanctions, LNG is seen as a safer alternative to piped reserves.

BP made the final investment decision on the Greater Tortue Ahmeyin project in 2018, making this FPSO a significant development for the project and a new milestone in BP’s LNG portfolio. It will help to process natural gas and provide a reliable supply to the region.