- SHI recently conducted its third FLNG hull launching ceremony for Malaysia`s energy giant Petronas. 

- SHI has secured maximum orders for five out of nine FLNG units worldwide, recording a 55% market share, thus becoming a market leader in the FLNG construction. 

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), in a JV/consortium partnership with Japanese engineering company JGC Corporation, announced that, on the 26th February 2025, it has successfully launched the hull of the third FLNG ordered by Petronas in December 2022.

About 150 people including Young-kyu Ahn, the Head of Offshore Business Division of SHI (EVP), Datuk Adif Zulkifli, the Head of Gas and Maritime Business Division of Petronas (EVP) and other dignitaries, and executives of JGC attended the launching ceremony. 

The Floating LNG Production Unit (FLNG) ordered by Petronas is about 280 meters long. It is about 2.5 times the size of a soccer field (105m x 68m) and is a mega sized offshore facility with a weight of about 50,000 tons at launching. 

An FLNG unit can replace a traditional LNG facility on land. An FLNG is an offshore plant that provides a comprehensive solution to produce, liquefy, store, and offload natural gas at sea. It provides benefits of generating profits faster than the traditional on land facility and developing remotely located untapped marine reserves of oil and gas.

The FLNG unit will be moored at the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP) in Sabah and is planned to commence LNG production in 2027. This is the third FLNG ordered by Petronas, while it is the first-ever nearshore facility in Malaysia.  

This FLNG project is the second project of SHI-Petronas-JGC consortium partnership after a successful launch of the world`s first deep water FLNG facility PETRONAS Dua, which was delivered in December 2021. 

SHI will moor the FLNG hull to the quay side and carry out construction activities, including the production and installation of LNG storage tanks and topside plant equipment, insulation work and interior hull fabrication, following the hull launching. 

The core phase of the project will involve integrating a 40,000-tonne topsides processing plant. In collaboration with JGC, Samsung Heavy will fabricate 11 modules weighing between 2,000 and 7,000 tons, integrate the modules on the hullside using a 9,000-tonne floating crane, and sail out the FLNG unit in February 2027.

“Our third FLNG facility showcases the technological expertise we’ve gained from the successful deployment of PFLNG Satu and PFLNG Dua,” stated Datuk Adif Zulkifli, the Head of Gas and Maritime Business Division of Petronas (EVP). “It allows us to efficiently access gas reserves in a way that is most optimized, further enhancing Malaysia’s position as a prominent global leader in low-carbon energy.” 

“Samsung Heavy Industries is maintaining its unrivaled competitiveness by securing orders for five out of nine FLNG units worldwide,” said Young-kyu Ahn, the Head of Offshore Business Division of SHI (EVP). “We are proud to say that the third FLNG for Petronas will set a new benchmark for the offshore plant industry.”