[Digital Times, Yang Ji-yoon] MOL, Japan`s largest shipping company, announced plans to order 10 floating LNG-FSRU tanks by 2023.

Korean shipbuilders are now enjoying the technological advantage in the related fields such as the world`s first and the largest FSRU in the world, and there is growing expectation that Korean shipbuilders will win some orders for MOL orders.

According to the shipbuilding industry on January 14, MOL plans to order one or two FSRUs each year from this year to 2023 to secure a total of 10 units.

Meanwhile, LNG-FSRU refers to a ship-type facility that can directly supply LNG from the sea to natural gas consumers after landing natural gas. There are few additional facilities to invest in building LNG import terminals on land, and the construction period is only two years, half of 4 ~ 5 years of land terminal.

MOL is said to be pursuing FSRU orders to diversify LNG fleet size. It is also said that they are interested in converting existing LNG carriers to FSRUs.

Especially, MOL is reportedly considering ordering the largest FSRU in the world. Currently, the largest FSRU in the world is the "MOL Challenger," which DSME delivered to MOL last year. The FSRU is 263,000 cubic meters, capable of regenerating 10 million cubic meters of natural gas per day and storing up to 263,000 cubic meters of gas.

Japan has a virtuous circle system between maritime and shipbuilding industries, so national shipping companies mainly use their own shipyards. However, as Korean shipbuilders are showing superiority in technology in the FSRU field, it is observed that some of the MOL orders will go to large shipbuilders in Korea. In fact, in 2013, Hyundai Heavy Industries led the LNG-FSRU for the first time in the world. Samsung Heavy Industries not only owns the proprietary LNG re-gasification system technology, but also won an order for LNG-FSRU last year.

By Yang Ji Yun galileo@


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