Burckhardt to upgrade compressor on LNG regas vessel Golar Freeze

Golar Management in Norway has contracted Burckhardt Compression to upgrade the Laby-GI compressor fitted on board the 126,000 m³, 1977-built floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Golar Freeze.

The revamp is part of a project to prepare the ship for new employment as a regas vessel in Jamaica under a 15-year charter to New Fortress Energy (NFE), starting in Q4 2018.

Golar Freeze started life as a conventional LNG carrier, spending three decades shuttling cargoes worldwide. In 2010 Golar LNG had the vessel converted by Singapore’s Keppel Shipyard into an FSRU to serve as an LNG receiving terminal in the port of Jebel Ali under charter to the Dubai Supply Authority (Dusup).

Burckhardt Compression supplied one of its Laby-GI compressors for Golar Freeze as part of the Dusup conversion work. It was the first compressor of its kind installed on an FSRU and during the vessel’s time in Jebel Ali the Laby-GI unit was used as a minimum send-out (MSO) compressor. 

The Jamaica contract will require use of the compressor for a different purpose, necessitating the current revamp. The new employment calls for an increase in discharge pressure from 45 to 65 barg. That requires an additional compression stage, along with its extra auxiliaries, piping and other modifications.
 
An engineering study was first performed to verify the feasibility of the plan. The analysis provided a clear picture of the necessary changes, allowing the scope of the contract work to be defined and a suitable offer to be drawn up. Golar Management chose Burckhardt Compression as its engineering partner to carry out the upgrade.

Golar’s vessel manager Gabriele Pipitone said "The technical solution offered and the tight delivery time for this project completely met our expectations. Burckhardt Compression was proactive and available at the right time, with the right plan, the right offer and the right team. We are pleased to have found the perfect solution for revamping the MSO compressor."

If the NFE charter option is taken up, it will extend the working life of Golar Freeze to its 61st year. Burckhardt’s Laby-GI compressor could be part of that life for 28 years.