When the weather conditions are harsh, the ship-to-ship operations can be forbidden.Offshore units (FLNG or FSRU) are loaded and un-loaded from/to LNG carriers during ship-to-ship operations. Some offshore units conduct up to 30 operations per year, and this number is expected to grow in the future, especially during winter where LNG demand is high.

During this process, the LNG carrier tanks can go through all possible filling levels. GTT membrane tanks are designed to withstand all sea states at high and low filling levels. However, some restrictions may apply for partial filling levels. When the weather conditions are harsh, the ship-to-ship operations can be forbidden.

In practice, the restrictions usually applied by LNG carriers are generic. They are based on statistical data or most-likely scenarios. This approach makes the restrictions too conservative most of the time, reducing the operability of the asset.

Thanks to our unique R&D facilities and modeling capabilities, GTT is able to assess in real-time the sloshing risk in any operating conditions (weather, filing levels ...) for any LNG carrier, FSRU or FLNG. GTT's sloshing assessment depends on the ship's specifics, and is therefore not over-conservative.

GTT modeling method to assess in real-time the sloshing risk in any operating conditions A recent study from a specific site revealed that the operability of the asset may be improved from around 80% up to more than 99% without any effect on the safety of operations.

GTT proposes a digital solution for sloshing risk assessment for LNG carriers during ship-to-ship operations for offshore units. It gives real-time prediction of sloshing risk based on weather forecasts, ship characteristics and operating conditions. This permits the anticipation of the potentially unsafe periods and maximise the operational window.

 

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