Traditional Jetty VS Jettyless transfer

Development of the LNG value chain is highly complex, and project developers often face several obstacles in their pursuit of realising new, or even modified, LNG import and export infrastructures.

Apart from the political and regulatory landscape, the biggest challenges are cost and time associated with the building of LNG and natural gas infrastructure.

Here we will take a deep-dive into the most traditional methods of transferring LNG from ship to shore, comparing to the field-proven floating jettyless transfer system, the IQuay.

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Jettyless market interest

There is an increased interest in the transportation of liquefied energy world-wide, prompting stakeholders along the energy value chain to take a fresh look at how energy is transferred to and from a carrier vessel, offshore, nearshore and berthed in ports and harbours.
ECONNECT Energy's jettyless solution for liquefied energy is universal, meaning that it is perfectly suited for offloading, loading and bunkering applications.
ECONNECT Energy carried out the world's first jettyless LNG transfer in 2017 for Naturgy Energy Group.

Field Proven
World’s first successful jettyless transfer took place in 2017. We are here to challenge the status quo.
Lower Cost
Removing the need for fixed infrastructure, capital expenditure can be drastically reduced.
Reduced Lead Time
First gas can be within months rather than years due to a simpler permit process.

Conventional terminal infrastructure

Terminals are required for both the loading and offloading of LNG and other liquefied energy sources into carriers. A terminal may consist of a jetty structure, loading platform, mooring and breasting dolphins and trestle for supporting the pipeline. Offloading takes place via the loading arms where the tanker is berthed.
Locations without access to deepwater are fully dependent on seabed dredging for jetty construction, vessel mooring and turning access. This is a considerable cost to undertake, and for small-scale import projects, the investment required simply doesn’t make for sound project economics.

Loading and unloading

Location of the jetty terminal is dependent upon not only the requirements for the carrier vessel manoeuvring and positioning with respect to water depths, currents and ship traffic, but also with prevailing winds which may influence the location from a safety viewpoint.
The traditional shoreside loading and unloading to- and from- marine carriers may be prohibited due to proximity to populated areas, safety and/or environmental concerns. Also, the extension of an offshore jetty structure to support the transfer pipelines will, in all shallow water cases, require seabed dredging.

Jettyless Transfer

The majority of the civil and onshore works associated with jetty or quay construction is eliminated with the jettyless IQuay solution.
The IQuay is essentially a floating jetty. The platform attaches to the side of the vessel and transfers LNG or other fluids to storage tanks with floating cryogenic hoses floats and is compatible with most vessel sizes due to the unique vacuum attachment system.
Capital spending and EPC project schedules can be dramatically reduced by avoiding large river, harbour or coastal engineering and construction works.
The IQuay is DNV GL classified as an Offshore Loading Unit - obtaining permits from local authority and regulatory bodies is significantly simplified.
The IQuay is a plug & play solution that requires no modifications to the carrier vessel and can connect any vessel or terminal.

How LNG reaches its consumers

Exploration and Production of Natural gas, onshore or offshore.
Produced gas is treated and liquefied through a super-cooled process, either onshore or on an FLNG vessel.
If onshore, LNG is then exported via a jetty or floating IQuay to double-hulled LNGC carriers that have specially built tanks, to maintain cryogenic temperatures.
LNG is then shipped to the specific destination in double-hulled ships to receiving terminals where it is offloaded via another jetty or floating IQuay, and then stored in heavily insulated storage tanks onshore.
The LNG is re-gasified through a heating process and distributed to domestic consumers – from power plants and industry parks to domestic use for heating and cooking.

Simplifying and alleviating bottlenecks

The IQuay is a plug and play solution which allows for fast implementation into existing ports.
Replacing a jetty and other fixed infrastructure with the IQuay can significantly reduce first gas and minimise project investment costs.
The IQuay is a universal solution that requires no modifications to the carrier vessel and can connect any vessel or terminal.
It is a scalable solution tailored for small-, medium- and large-scale operations, providing flowrate capacities from 100 to 12,000 cubic meters per hour.