FSRU GNL del Plata. This 1:1250 scale miniature was masterfully crafted by the CSC workshop during the ship’s construction and bears the planned name „GNL Del Plata“. It stands on deck 9 of the museum.
The ship that we know today as the „MOL FSRU Challenger“ is a very special type of ship. It looks like a huge LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) tanker, but it is a so-called FSRU: a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit. This means that she does not transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) across the seas, but works for land-based LNG plants. Here, the ship takes in liquefied gas from LNG tankers and regasifies it by adding heat so that it can be distributed and used on land. With a length of 345.5 metres and a storage capacity of 263,000 cubic metres, the „MOL FSRU Challenger“ is the largest ship of her kind in the world.
She was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering at their shipyard in Okpo, South Korea, and delivered to its owners, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), in 2017. Originally, the vessel was to be named „GNL Del Plata“, as it was intended for a larger LNG plant in Uruguay, planned by the Gas Sayago Company. By the way, GNL is not a typo. LNG is Gas Natural Licuado in Spanish, hence the difference in the name. However, the Uruguayan project experienced considerable delays. Nevertheless, this FSRU was completed to be used in other projects. After its completion, the vessel was initially sent to the Botaş LNG plant in Dörtyol, Turkey, under a short charter contract. Already in the same year, MOL announced its intention to conclude a long-term charter contract for the „MOL FSRU Challenger“ and to use the vessel for the Hong Kong Offshore LNG Terminal project. This project was due to start at the end of 2020, but has apparently been postponed.
This 1:1250 scale miniature was masterfully crafted by the CSC workshop during the ship’s construction and bears the planned name „GNL Del Plata“. It stands on deck 9 of the museum.