Regulatory and Safety Challenges of FLNG

Abstract

Liquefaction of natural gas is moving offshore as an economic means of developing natural gas fields. This trend is currently in the start phase with a number of projects at present under construction and many more at concept and engineering phases. These FLNG projects are being proposed for location in an increasingly larger number of geographical locations, coming under a number of different regulatory jurisdictions. There is currently little engineering experience associated with such FLNG applications and in addition standards and regulation specific to this new technology may lag behind industry developments. Different jurisdictions may also have varying approaches when it comes to means of ensuring safety on their own continental shelf. In addition there remain some technical challenges in applying some of the latest knowledge to ensure more optimal designs. This paper will address the approach adopted by DNV GL in specifying requirements for design and construction of offshore LNG production units and our view on how this approach relates to the bigger picture of regulatory compliance. In addition some key technological areas which DNV-GL see as a safety challenge with regard to such units will be discussed.It is intended to bring together experience gained from a number of projects and present some generic lessons related to the issues of safety and regulatory compliance which may be of use in future FLNG designs.