Drydocks World - Dubai, a premier ship repair, conversion and new building yard in the region and the flagship company of Drydocks World, has started work on its first ever floating storage re-gasification unit (FSRU) conversion project.

FSRUs are floating terminals where LNG is stored before being re-gasified on board.

FSRU conversion is one of the very few such projects undertaken by ship yards across the world, said a statement from Drydocks World - Dubai.

The conversion of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier, “Golar Frost” into an FSRU, is being handled by the main contractor, Saipem, a leading international turnkey contractor in the oil and gas industry and will be delivered to OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, a company operating in the Italian gas industry, it added.

Under the project, known as the FSRU Livorno Project, “Golar Frost” will be converted into a floating LNG receiving terminal of FSRU type to be permanently moored offshore Livorno, Italy, approximately 12 miles from the coast in a water depth of 120 m and connected to shore through a gas export pipeline.

It will have a storage capacity of 137,000 cu m of LNG and a production capacity of 3.75 billion standard cubic meters per annum (bscmpa).

Drydocks World - Dubai began work in June 2009 and plans to complete it by mid 2010.

Nawal Saigal, managing director, Drydocks World - Dubai, said, 'The FSRU Livorno conversion is a prestigious assignment for us. It is the largest and most advanced FSRU to come into the market.'

'Drydocks World - Dubai has collaborated with Saipem on many projects in the past and we appreciate their confidence in our maritime engineering expertise and manpower excellence. We are confident that this project will further strengthen Dubai’s reputation as a global leader in the ship conversion industry,' he added.

The conversion of the LNG carrier includes fabrication and installation of structures such as turret mooring system, aft thruster compartment, foundations of cranes and loading arms, bilge keel and foundations for equipments.

In addition, the unit’s external hull, deck and outfitting will be blasted and coated.

The project also involves the installation of a side by side berthing mooring system for the LNG carrier, a loading system (i.e. loading arms), LNG transfer system to regasification plant, a process plant for regasification, utilities including power generation and sea water systems, control, automation and communications systems, the company said.-TradeArabia News Service