The Energos Force, a 174,000-cbm floating storage and regasification unit built in 2021, is in the Dutch port of Rotterdam, where cooldown work on its LNG tanks is under way ahead of its deployment at Stade in Germany. The state-owned LNG terminal operator DET told LNG Prime that operations at Stade are due to begin next month, in November. The work forms part of the preparations required before the vessel can enter service at the terminal.
Cooling down is the controlled process of lowering cargo tanks from ambient temperature to cryogenic levels so that the containment system can safely receive liquefied natural gas. Carrying the procedure out in stages gives the tanks and associated equipment time to adjust before the first LNG is introduced. For a newly deployed unit such as the Energos Force, it is a standard commissioning step ahead of commercial service.
Rotterdam is serving as the setting for this phase, with the vessel due to move on to its operating role once the tanks are ready. DET's update points to a November start, with the cooldown taking place in the weeks before launch. Once in service, the unit's 174,000 cubic metres of tank capacity will function as the storage and regasification capacity at the site.
For the industry, the update illustrates the sequence behind bringing an FSRU-based import project online: the vessel is positioned at a port, its tanks are brought to operating temperature, and commercial service follows at the destination terminal. For those who will operate the Stade facility, the cooldown in Rotterdam is the step that precedes the handling of liquefied gas at the site. The vessel's shift from preparatory work in the Netherlands to operational duty in Germany is set for next month.
Source: LNG Prime
