Ship managers Synergy Group converted a 1992-built, 126,000 cubic meters capacity Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier into a Floating Storage Unit (FSU). The conversion was performed at Sembcorp Marine’s Admiralty Yard in Singapore.

Synergy will manage, maintain and operate the FSU, which has a projected lifespan of 15 years. It will be deployed in Myanmar where it will be manned by a Synergy crew of 25 seafarers.

The FSU will be moored permanently and used to receive and store LNG imports for delivery on demand to an onshore regasification plant which will supply power to local consumers.

“I think this LNG carrier to FSU conversion really drives home that Synergy is not just an asset manager and ship operator,” said Captain Rajesh Unni, CEO and Founder of Synergy Group. “We are a technical thought partner for owners and can deliver integrated solutions which require cross-disciplinary skills.

“We are also now an established single-source technical solution provider of LNG-to-power services. We can take a concept and realise the entire undertaking right through to delivering energy to end consumers even during a global pandemic.”

Synergy administered the FSU conversion on behalf of the client on a one-stop-shop basis. This included identifying the correct LNG carrier for conversion and selecting a suitable shipyard. Synergy also managed the entire design, engineering, procurement and yard oversight process ahead of the FSU delivery and deployment.

The FSU conversion included more than 100 tons of steel renewal and the cumulative addition of over 1,500 metres of cryogenic pipes. 25 designers were deployed and the project team consisted of 10 managers overseeing a workforce of some 250 personnel each day.
The FSU is designed to offload LNG to the regasification plant at rates of up to 350 cubic meters per hour during peak demand. The flow rate can be adjusted to as little as 150 cubic meters per hour during non-peak periods.

Pictured at the launch of the new FSU at Sembcorp Marine’s Admiralty Yard in Singapore: Captain Rajesh Unni (left), CEO and Founder of Synergy Group, and Alvin Gan (right), Sembcorp Marine Head of Repairs & Upgrades. Photo: Synergy Group