August 7, 2013 was the date of a special event that is now a landmark in the world of energy. It was on that day that the 177,000 m3 LNG carrier Ben Badis met the 126,000 m3 Gemini for a 48-hour stopover at Montoir-de-Bretagne. The LNG terminal operated by Group subsidiary company Elengy then made the first transhipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the first ship to the second; the first time that such an operation had been carried out anywhere in the world. From the very first stage to the final step, it was an exceptionally smooth process.

The first thing was to moor both ships securely and safely. Three hours later, articulated transfer arms were connected to the Ben Badis to begin transferring the liquefied natural gas cargo. The liquid formed by cooling the gas to -160°C then flowed through the pipelines to the Gemini. The LNG transferred was therefore neither mixed nor stored in the terminal's own tanks. This avoids any risk of changing the nature of the product and saves time.

A new market takes off

Such transhipments can be made at sea in the sheltered waters of the roads, subject to weather conditions. However, the Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG terminal enjoys the favorable weather and sea conditions of Nantes Saint-Nazaire (a port protected from swell, with a low risk of fog, reliably predictable winds that soon pass, and a deep water channel large enough to take two LNG carriers at the same time), advanced port services and proven LNG infrastructures. All of which meant that this transhipment could be made under conditions of maximum reliability and safety.

Jean-Pierre Chalus, Chairman of the Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port Authority, had this to say about the achievement in his press release: "Elengy and the Port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire have once again demonstrated their ability to work together to deliver an effective response to today's constantly developing energy market. Combined with the Atlantic location of the port and its navigation conditions, the new terminal infrastructures establish Montoir-de-Bretagne as a strategic focus for the European natural gas market." With its two landing stages, ENGIE sees the Montoir-de-Bretagne terminal as a major asset in securing a proportion of these new markets, which could represent several million metric tons of LNG per year.

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