LNG ship-to-ship transfer resumes in Subic

LNG ship-to-ship transfer resumes in Subic
Henry Empeño August 4, 2020 https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/08/04/lng-ship-to-ship-transfer-resum...

Subic Bay Freeport—Subic port authorities have allowed the resumption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) here, but the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said members of the ship’s crew will not be allowed to disembark.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the LNG carrier Methane Shirley Elisabeth arrived here over the weekend to transfer LNG cargo to smaller feeder ships, but her office has made it clear that the crew would remain on board all throughout the two-week operation.

“No one from the ship can be allowed to come ashore, sadly not even the 16 Filipinos among the 31 crew members, because of the health measures we must observe,” Eisma said on Monday.

She said the same policy will apply to the crew members of feeder vessels that will transport the LNG cargo from the mother ship to ports in China.

China, which recorded LNG imports amounting to 84.8 billion cubic meters in 2019, is the world’s second biggest importer of LNG.

Subic recorded the country’s first ship-to-ship transfer operations for LNG in April 2017 when the 105,335-ton Malaysian-flagged Seri Bakti transferred thousands of cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to the feeder vessel S/S Polar Spirit. Other STS operations followed since then.

Eisma described the resumption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations in Subic as a “welcome boost to the economy,” but stressed that safety should be a paramount concern for both ship and port personnel.

According to SBMA Seaport Manager Jerome Martinez, LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, which has a gross tonnage of 95,753 tons, has a carrying capacity of 142,800 cubic meters of liquid gas.

He said the Bermudan-flagged carrier originated from Qatar and dropped by at a Hong Kong port to pick up three mooring masters before proceeding to Subic, where it will stay at anchor until August 15 for STS operations.

Martinez also confirmed that no one among the crew would be allowed to disembark from the ship for any reason while it is in the Port of Subic.

He said that aside from the 16 Filipino crewmen, 15 other foreign nationals are on board the vessel, including nine Greeks, two Croatians, two Ukrainians, one Romanian, and one Latvian.

Martinez also noted that upon arrival at the anchorage area outside of the bay, a team from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) immediately boarded the tanker for health inspections and safety protocols.

The BOQ inspectors were followed by a boarding party composed of personnel from the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Immigration.

After the LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, another LNG carrier, the Singaporean-flagged LNG/C Lerici, will also conduct ship-to-ship transfer in Subic.

Eisma said the same health and safety protocols will be imposed by Subic authorities for Lerici’s STS operation.