The FSRU ‘BW Singapore’ successfully completed mooring manoeuvres about 8 km offshore Ravenna, Italy, in line with the planned schedule.
After reaching Palermo last December, and undertaking gassing and cooling operations in Cartagena (Spain), the FSRU has now reached Italian energy company Snam’s former Petra offshore platform.
The existing infrastructure - formerly used to handle oil tankers - has recently been redesigned to accommodate the FSRU, in an environmentally-sustainable manner.
“With the ship docking in Ravenna perfectly on schedule, Italy can rely on a new strategic asset, which, combined with the ‘Italis LNG’ moored in Piombino, is another fundamental step towards supply diversification and the Country's energy security,” said Stefano Venier, Snam CEO.
“Ravenna is an ideal port of call, not only because it hosts a high-skilled, leading energy district, but also because of its strategic position attracting gas flows from the eastern Mediterranean area and beyond,” he said.
Snam has issued a tender for the delivery of the first LNG cargo to the ‘BW Singapore’ for commissioning activities, which consist of the FSRU regasification plant’s operational tests and set-up.
The cargo, scheduled to be delivered in March, will also provide the minimum level of LNG in the terminal's tanks, as required to ensure its full operation.
Built in 2015, ‘BW Singapore’ can store 170,000 cu m of LNG and regasify it to a total capacity of 5 bill cu m per year.
She was purchased by Snam in 2022, as one of the measures set in place following the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
Increasing Italy's overall regasification capacity was considered strategically important to ensure national energy security.
Today, LNG accounts for about 25% of the Italy's total gas consumption, Snam said.
With the FSRU’s commissioning, Italy’s total regasification capacity will reach 28 bill cu m, equivalent to the volumes imported by pipeline from Russia in 2021, before the conflict.
In addition to Ravenna, Snam holds significant stakes in all of Italy’s regulated LNG regasification terminals, including the Panigaglia terminal (La Spezia), operational since 1971, the Adriatic LNG terminal (Rovigo), in operation since 2009, the OLT FSRU Toscana terminal (Livorno), active since 2013, and the FSRU Italis LNG terminal (Piombino), operational since July, 2023.
