BP’s delayed Greater Tortue Ahmeyim FLNG project, located offshore Mauritania and Senegal, is now expected to start producing liquefied natural gas in the fourth quarter of this year, according to project partner Kosmos Energy.
Kosmos revealed the new delay in its fourth quarter and full year 2023 results report on Monday.
In November 2023, the US firm said in its third-quarter results report that the delivery of first gas from the first phase of BP’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim FLNG project has the potential to slip into the second quarter of 2024 due to delays with the subsea scope.
“The critical path to first gas, expected in the third quarter of 2024, continues to be through the arrival, hookup, and commissioning of the FPSO,” Kosmos said on Monday.
“Timely execution of this workstream is expected to allow for first LNG in the fourth quarter,” it said.
BP recently said that Golar LNG’s converted FLNG, Gimi, arrived at the site of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project, but it did not provide an update regarding the commissioning of the project.
Last month, Golar said that the FLNG, which was converted from a 1975-built Moss LNG carrier with a storage capacity of 125,000 cbm, has arrived at the site.
However, Golar and BP have agreed that the FLNG “will proceed to moor offshore Tenerife while awaiting completion of the necessary preparatory activities,” Golar said at the time.
The FLNG departed Seatrium’s yard in Singapore on November 19.
The unit is at the heart of the GTA Phase 1 development, operated by BP with partners, Kosmos Energy, PETROSEN, and SMH.
Kosmos said in the update that hookup work for the FLNG was underway.
As per the project’s FPSO unit, it left Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry’s yard in Qidong, China in January last year.
With eight processing and production modules, the FPSO will process around 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
Kosmos previously said the FPSO was expected to arrive on location in the first quarter of 2024.
The firm said in the update that the vessel “is currently in a shipyard in Tenerife for inspection and repair of the fairleads.”
“Completion of this work and transit to the project site is expected early in the second quarter ahead of final hookup and commissioning,” it said.
In October last year, BP selected Swiss-based offshore contractor Allseas to complete the remaining subsea pipelay scope for the FLNG project, replacing previous contractor Houston-based McDermott.
Allseas said in December that it has started GTA offshore pipelay work using what it says is the world’s largest construction vessel, Pioneering Spirit. Allseas’ offshore construction support vessel Oceanic is providing installation support.
The offshore contractor said last week it has completed the infield pipelay scope for the project.
It said that Pioneering Spirit would conclude the offshore works by installing the six outstanding flowline termination assemblies.
Kosmos said in the update that it expects completion of the subsea work at the end of the second quarter.
