The 488-metre hull of Shell's 'Prelude' floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) plant has been floated out of the dry dock at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in Geoje, South Korea, where it is currently under construction.
Once complete, 'Prelude' FLNG will be the largest floating facility ever built. According to Shell, the vessel will unlock new energy resources offshore and produce approximately 3.6 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum "to meet growing demand".
FLNG will allow Shell to produce natural gas at sea, turn it into liquefied natural gas and then transfer it directly to the ships that will transport it to end users.
It will enable the development of gas resources ranging from clusters of smaller and more remote fields to potentially larger fields via multiple facilities where onshore development is not viable.
"This can mean faster, cheaper, more flexible development and deployment strategies for resources that were previously uneconomic, or constrained by technical or other risks," commented Shell.
Prelude FLNG is the first deployment of Shell's FLNG technology and will operate in a remote basin around 475 kilometres north-east of Broome, Western Australia for around 25 years. The facility will remain onsite during all weather events and has been designed to withstand a category five cyclone.