Jakarta: Indonesian firm PT Perusahaan Pelayaran Equinox has paid Golar LNG $135m to buy the 2005-built LNG carrier, Golar Viking. The ship has been renamed Salju and reflagged to the Indonesian registry.
The growth in the Indonesian domestic trade of LNG is the direct result of the recent introduction of three new LNG terminals which are supplied from LNG production facilities at Bontang and Tangguh. The receiving terminals are the FSRU Nusantara Regas Satu located in West Java, PGN FSRU (located in Lampung and the Arun receiving terminal in Aceh Province, scheduled to commence operations in the first quarter of 2015.
FSRU Nusantara Regas Satu is owned and operated by PT Golar Indonesia, a joint venture company between Golar and Equinox’s parent company.
The technical specification of Golar Viking, now renamed Salju, is well suited for the short haul nature of the domestic Indonesian trade.
“The transfer of ownership and the anticipated future employment of the vessel recognises that long haul sea borne trade will increasingly become dominated by modern, larger and more efficient vessels providing greater economies of scale,” Golar LNG said in a release.
