Samsung Heavy Industries said on the 16th that it held a launching ceremony at the Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang for the floating LNG production facility (FLNG) "Coral Norte," ordered by ENI, Italy's state-owned energy corporations.
About 80 officials attended the ceremony, including Vice Chairman Choi Sung-an of Samsung Heavy Industries; Minister Estevao Pale of Mozambique's Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy; Guido Brusco, ENI chief operating officer (COO); and Yamada Shoji, JGC president.
Coral Norte is the second ultra-large FLNG being built following "Coral Sul," Africa's first ultra-deepwater FLNG, which Samsung Heavy Industries won from ENI in 2017 and delivered in 2021.
Coral Norte measures 432 meters in length and 66 meters in breadth, large enough to line up four soccer fields in series, and its launching weight alone reaches 123,000 tons.
Samsung Heavy Industries and ENI signed an 869.4 billion won agreement in Jul. last year for preliminary work on the main construction and have been proceeding with the schedule, aiming for completion in 2028.
Samsung Heavy Industries said it will maintain its position as a powerhouse in offshore business based on FLNG. Of the 10 newly built FLNGs ordered worldwide to date, Samsung Heavy Industries has won six. Including "Prelude" by Shell, the world's largest FLNG, it has delivered a total of four and is currently building two at the Geoje shipyard, including Petronas' third FLNG in Malaysia in addition to Coral Norte.
In addition, U.S.-based Delfin Midstream said that the final investment decision (FID) is imminent, along with an extension of the letter of award (LOA) for the FLNG construction contract to be deployed in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico recently signed with Samsung Heavy Industries.
Vice Chairman Choi Sung-an of Samsung Heavy Industries said, "With the rise in global LNG demand, approvals for major offshore gas production facilities are also increasing steadily," and "considering the company's construction capacity, we plan to secure one to two FLNGs each year."