GLNG: Novatek’s LNG floating transfer hub arrives in Murmansk

Russian natural gas producer Novatek has revealed that its first floating LNG (FLNG) transfer hub, Saam floating storage unit (FSU), arrived at the inlet of Ura Guba 70 km north-west of Murmansk in northern Russia’s Kola Peninsula, on June 27, High North News reports.

The barge’s arrival in the Kola Peninsula was a long time coming. Novatek purchased the $748mn vessel three years ago from South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) located in Okpo near the southern port city of Busan. The 12,000-nautical mile (22,224-km) journey under tow from Okpo took four months to reach Ura Guba.

The new transshipment hub allows Novatek to drastically shorten the distance that specialised LNG carriers capable of passing through icy waters will need to travel from the Yamal LNG plant at Sabetta.