Italian oil and gas company Eni held the naming and sail away ceremony of the Coral-Sul FLNG at Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea.

With a capacity of 3.4 million tonnes of LNG annually, the FLNG vessel will be located in the Rovuma basin offshore Mozambique. It marks the first floating LNG facility ever to be deployed in the deep waters of the African continent.

Its production will start in the second half of 2022, and it will contribute to increasing gas availability in the country.

To remind, Coral South Project achieved Final Investment Decision in 2017. The construction of the FLNG hull and topside modules started in September 2019. The hull launched in January 2020, followed by the lifting of the first topside module in May 2020.

Samsung Heavy Industries was responsible for the entire vessel construction process; from hull design to commissioning, as well as topside production design and manufacturing. Additionally, the shipyard has built three out of four FLNG orders placed around the world so far.

While performing the construction activities in Korea, several significant activities took place in Mozambique. These specifically include the ultra-deepwater drilling and completion campaign that involved the highest technological and operational skills and equipment.

Stefano Maione of Eni said: “The project fits integrally with and within the Eni’s energy transition strategy, as we move towards a decarbonised energy future”.

Also, Coral-Sul FLNG has implemented an energy optimisation approach, integrated into the design via a systematic analysis of energy efficiency improvements. These amongst others include:

• Zero flaring during normal operations
• Use of thermal efficient aero-derivative gas turbines for refrigerant compressors and power generation;
• Use of Dry Low NOx technology to reduce NOx emission;
• Waste heat recovery systems for gas processing.

Once the FLNG facility is in place, the installation campaign will begin.