European duo to install FLNG units for Argentina’s first LNG export project

CoreMarine and Jumbo Offshore have secured a contract to perform the transport and installation of the soft-yoke (SSY) mooring systems and hook-up of two floating LNG vessels in Argentina’s San Matías Gulf.

The deal, which covers both Hilli Episeyo FLNG and MKII FLNG units, has been awarded by Argentine energy company Southern Energy S.A. (SESA), owned by Pan American Energy, YPF, Pampa Energía, Harbour Energy, and Golar LNG.

The award is said to represent a significant milestone for both European companies and a pivotal breakthrough for Argentina’s gas sector as it scales up its export capabilities.

CoreMarine and Jumbo Offshore said they will deliver the project through a fully integrated execution model that combines project management, engineering, transportation, offshore installations, and hook-up.

As the lead contractor, CoreMarine will contract Jumbo Offshore to transport and install the SSY mooring system, including heavy-lift and piling activities. CoreMarine will follow up with diving and construction activities, including spool installation, ballasting, riser hook-up, pre-commissioning, positioning, and hook-up of both FLNG units.

The offshore campaign will involve complex, simultaneous operations, including heavy lifting, riser installation, piling, spool installation, saturation diving, and multi-vessel SIMOPS. The project will require the chartering of multiple assets, such as dive support vessels, support vessels, and station-keeping tugs.

The SSY systems, supplied by NOV, will enable both FLNG units to weathervane around a single mooring point, aligning with environmental forces and providing a cost-efficient solution that eliminates the need for fixed infrastructure such as jetties.

Commenting on the contract, CoreMarine chief executive officer, Ben Fitzgerald, said, “Our objective is not just to deliver two FLNG installations, but to leave behind strong local capability, confidence, and a proven model for future offshore developments in the region.”

CoreMarine and Jumbo Offshore both commenced project management and engineering in January 2026. Hilli Episeyo FLNG is scheduled for installation in 2027, followed by MKII FLNG in 2028, marking the first application of SSY technology in Argentine waters.

The project marks CoreMarine’s first FLNG development and its largest contract in Latin America, while further bolstering Jumbo Offshore’s track record in SSY installations and floating energy infrastructure.

As Riviera previously reported, SESA was created in 2024 to develop Argentina’s first large-scale LNG export project, monetising gas from the Vaca Muerta shale formation, one of the world’s largest unconventional gas resources. It will deploy the two FLNG units, to be moored near each other offshore in San Matías Gulf, in the province of Río Negro.

With a combined LNG production capacity of approximately 6 mta, the multi-decade export project is expected not only to position Argentina as a new global gas exporter but also to support Europe’s efforts to diversify gas imports. In March 2026, SESA secured Argentina’s first long-term LNG export contract with Germany’s SEFE. Under the eight-year agreement, SEFE will purchase 2 mta of LNG, with deliveries scheduled to begin in late 2027.