KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas, through its subsidiary Petronas LNG Ltd (PLL), has completed its first commercial Gassing Up and Cooling Down (GUCD) services at the Bintulu liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal recently.
The GUCD is a specialised service to bring the storage tanks on LNG carriers, after dry-docking, to a natural environment and cool it down to cryogenic temperature, minus 160 degrees Celcius, before loading its next cargo.
In a statement, the oil and gas company said the vessel, Singapore Energy, berthed at the Bintulu LNG terminal, after arriving from Linggi (off the Straits of Melaka), and completed the cool-down operation smoothly in about 11 hours.
“The success of the GUCD services positions Bintulu as one of the premier LNG hubs, as only few terminals in the world offer this facility.
“These services are offered at attractive rates by Bintulu Port to LNG vessel operators and owners,” it said.
The LNG for gassing up services is supplied from the Petronas LNG Complex in Bintulu.
Petronas Vice-President of LNG Marketing and Trading, Ahmad Adly Alias said the partnership with Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB), a subsidiary of Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad (BPHB) and Bintulu Port Authority (BPA), would enhance Petronas’ portfolio of services in the integrated LNG value chain.
“Following an agreement signed last year between BPSB and PLL, we augmented efforts to garner vessel operators and owners’ interests to utilise this service in Bintulu.
“With the attractive rate offered by BPSB, we are confident that the GUCD services will draw more LNG vessel operators and owners to call at Bintulu LNG terminal,” Ahmad Adly added.
Petronas, an integrated global LNG player with over 35 years of experience, has a strong reputation as a reliable LNG supplier and solutions provider.
– BERNAMA