Lloyd's Register announces FLNG platform Rules
06/06/2012
The first comprehensive Rules for FLNG facilities to be based on a real-world project.
Lloyd's Register (LR) today issued an update on the development progress of the world's most comprehensive rules for Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) platforms.
Today at the World Gas Conference 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, we today issued an update on the development progress of our Rules for Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Platforms. 
The Lloyd's Register Rules for FLNG Platforms reinforce LR's position at the forefront of new maritime technology, building upon the work we have performed with numerous LNG firsts, such as classing the first LNG fuelled tanker, Argonon. The Rules are the world's most comprehensive, and the only framework of their kind to be based on a real-world FLNG project.
"The first FLNG facilities will have 75% of the capacity of a conventional LNG liquefaction facility, with just 5% of the surface area" said Wijnand Moonen, Business Manager for SE Asia, "This should give you an idea of the complexity of these new facilities".
With natural gas prices set to vary greatly between regions in the near future, LNG is needed to supplement pipelines in the transportation of this low-carbon fuel. Equally, the energy industry requires more effective storage solutions as demand fluctuates. Flexibility is also a rising concern, as the Fukushima incident recently demonstrated when QatarGas delivered LNG to Japan at short notice to help meet Japan's energy deficit.
Industry experts point to FLNG as a solution that can offer easy transportation, storage and flexible supply of natural gas in an increasingly uncertain energy landscape.
Our Rules are currently going through extensive peer review and will be ready for full release this quarter. For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @LRUpstream.
Read the full press release from the FLNG Rules press conference at World Gas Conference 2012, Kuala Lumpur.
Read more details about our certification, classification, verification and consulting services for Floating LNG (FLNG).