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The Giant Shell Floating Platform Has a Deck Larger Than Four Football Fields and Storage Tanks That Would Fill 175 Olympic Swimming Pools, Producing Enough Gas to Meet the Annual Needs of a City Like Hong Kong
Displacing as much water as five aircraft carriers is just a stunning statistic that attempts to explain the size of the world’s largest ship. The Shell Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) platform, the massive floating structure developed by Samsung, began in 2012 and was completed in July 2018 by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, before being towed to Australia.
Meet the Amazing Shell Prelude, the World’s Largest Vessel in Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qozGIXgESrc
Despite its ship-like appearance, the Prelude is not, in the strictest sense, a ship, as it needs to be towed to its destination.
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LNG vessels serving Asian customers will stop and fill their tanks with liquefied gas that has been cooled to -162 degrees Celsius.
Its capacity to produce and offload gas for large carriers eliminates the need for long pipelines to LNG processing facilities on land. The technology is also praised for the ability of the structure to be used at another remote location.
In 2016, Shell itself chose not to proceed with three more FLNG projects with Samsung due to the high cost of offshore installation.
Shell, along with joint venture partners KOGAS and Impex, estimates that the vessel will remain in the Prelude field for up to 25 years before being towed to another offshore field.
![COLUMN | Prelude FLNG woes spell problems for Shell, Australia and neighbours too [Offshore Accounts] - Baird Maritime](https://www.bairdmaritime.com/wp-content/uploads/104901165-shell_prelude_chart-CNBC.png)
Source: CNCB
A Giant in Numbers
The platform, from Royal Dutch Shell, measures 488 m in length and 74 m in width. Besides being long, the platform is tall: according to Shell, the tower that traverses the facility reaches 93 meters.
The vessel has a deck larger than four football fields and storage tanks that would fill 175 Olympic swimming pools. With nearly a third of a mile in length and longer than the Empire State Building, the Prelude is also as wide as the wings of a Boeing 747.
At full load, it displaces over 600,000 tons, more than six times the displacement of the USS George Washington. More than 6,700 power thrusters are used to position the facility, and 50 million liters of water will be used each hour to cool the liquefied natural gas.
The cost of the Prelude to date may be US$ 19.3 billion, according to OPIC Australia Pty Ltd’s records from 2019, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s CPC, which holds 5% of Prelude.
OPIC reported that construction costs “totaled US$ 964 million by December 2019” for its 5% stake, indicating a total cost of 100% of US$ 19.3 billion.
The Giant Recently Underwent Maintenance
The maintenance process began in August 2023 and concluded in December of the same year. Its remote offshore location, combined with the complexities of being the world’s first floating liquefied natural gas facility, posed operational challenges. The facility experienced intermittent disruptions, including a significant setback in December 2021 when a fire led to a total power loss.
Shell’s Response and Forward-Looking Approach
Shell, recognizing the complexities of operating the Prelude, issued a statement highlighting the intricacy of the facility and its commitment to ensuring a safe execution of all activities. This extensive turn-around marked the first major maintenance effort of the Prelude, addressing not only the scopes of work initially identified but also additional areas that emerged during the process. This forward-looking approach demonstrates Shell’s commitment to the long-term reliability of the facility.
Impacts of the Prelude Platform on the Liquefied Natural Gas Market
Located 475 kilometers off the west coast of Australia, Prelude has strategic importance in the global liquefied natural gas market. Its resumption of operations aligns strategically with the peak demand of winter, particularly in large markets such as China and Europe. While high inventories have tempered purchases early in the year, the timing of Prelude’s resurgence suggests a potential increase in liquefied natural gas exports, contributing to the global energy landscape.
The resumption of exports from Prelude is a positive development for Shell. The facility is expected to generate significant cash flow for the company in the coming years. The convergence of strategic timing, innovative technology, and maintenance positions the Prelude as a key player in the liquefied natural gas market.
Information obtained from the page bairdmaritime.com
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