December 27, 2023 [LNG Prime]- Shell’s huge Prelude FLNG located offshore Western Australia has welcomed its first LNG tanker since August this year when it started scheduled maintenance, according to shipping data.

The UK-based LNG giant shut down the FLNG in August for maintenance saying it will take “several months” to complete it.

Shell said in November it extended the turnaround due to additional scopes of work.

Earlier this month, several reports said that Prelude’s turnaround had been completed but Shell did not confirm the completion of maintenance.

According to its AIS data, the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Orion Bohemia, has arrived at the FLNG on Wednesday and was on Thursday morning still moored at the floating producer.

Shell declined to comment on whether this 2022-built Shell-chartered LNG carrier would load the first LNG cargo since the completion of Prelude FLNG’s maintenance.

“We don’t have any updates on Prelude for now,” a Shell spokesperson told LNG Prime.

The 488-meter-long and 74-meter-wide FLNG shipped its first cargo in June 2019 after several start-up delays.

It can produce 3.6 mtpa of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate, and 0.4 mtpa of LPG.

Shell operates the floating facility with a 67.5 percent stake. Japan’s Inpex holds a 17.5 percent stake, South Korea’s Kogas has 10 percent, and Taiwan’s CPC holds 5 percent.

In September last year, Shell resumed cargo loading operations at Prelude after it reached an agreement with unions representing Prelude FLNG workers to end a long strike.

After that, Shell closed the unit in December of the same year due to a fire and resumed shipments in January.

Shell again temporarily suspended production on the FLNG on May 10 due to a trip and resumed production two days after that.

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