Hoegh Esperanza back at Tianjin

Market: Natural gas
22/11/19

The 170,000m³ Hoegh Esperanza floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) has been reinstalled at the Tianjin LNG terminal, having operated as an LNG carrier through last summer.

The vessel — owned by Norwegian shipowner Hoegh LNG — returned to the terminal on 14 November, and has been regasifying LNG since 18 November.

The 159,800m³ Woodside Goode delivered a cargo to the facility on 16 November from the Chevron-operated 8.9mn t/yr Wheatstone liquefaction plant in Australia, with the 174,000m³ Flex Courageous delivering a second Australian cargo, from the Shell-operated 8.5mn t/yr QC Curtis Island facility, to the FSRU yesterday.

Chinese state-owned firm CNOOC holds a three-year charter on the Hoegh Esperanza, which is China's only FSRU. The vessel is in the second year of this charter, with an option to extend the agreement by one year, and replaced the 145,000m³ GDF Suez Cape Ann — also owned by Hoegh LNG — in November 2018, after its predecessor left Tianjin at the end of March the same year.

The Hoegh Esperanza has an import capacity of around 6mn t/yr, but only operates as an FSRU during periods of high demand, with CNOOC using the vessel as a carrier during summer.

By Samuel Good

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