VESSEL REVIEW | Nguya – Floating liquefaction unit to support Eni's LNG project off Congo

Italian energy company Eni will soon place a new floating LNG (FLNG) unit into service.

Eni said the FLNG Nguya (“strength” in Congo's Lingala language) is set to significantly boost LNG production as part of the Congo LNG project in the Marine XII concession offshore the Republic of Congo. Construction of the unit was undertaken at Wison New Energies’ facilities in Nantong, China, and was completed in just under 33 months.

Can source from multiple fields simultaneously

With a length of 376 metres (1,230 feet), a beam of 60 metres (200 feet) and a depth of 35 metres (110 feet), Nguya will be used for LNG production with a rated output of 2.4 million tons per annum (MTPA).

It will complement the existing Tango FLNG, which has been operational since December 2023 and has a capacity of 0.6 MTPA, bringing the total liquefaction capacity of the Congo LNG project to three MTPA by the end of 2025.

The FLNG can also receive up to 380 million cubic feet (10 million cubic metres) of natural gas per day from nearby fields. Its advanced technical features allow it to process gas from multiple fields, making it suitable for the development of future fields.

The unit’s storage capacities are 180,000 cubic metres (6.4 million cubic feet) of LNG and 45,000 cubic metres (1.6 million cubic feet) of LPG.

Supporting LNG export operations

The unit’s other notable features are a dual-fuel main generator and a waste heat recovery system. Accommodation is meanwhile available for up to 300 personnel.

Work on the subsea infrastructure required to launch phase two of the Congo LNG project is progressing on schedule, enabling mooring and startup by the end of 2025, according to Eni. The company’s goal is to achieve an annual export output of 4.5 billion cubic metres (160 billion cubic feet) of natural gas through the project.