The keel has been laid at a shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, for the construction of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) that will operate off the coast of Gdańsk.

The keel-laying marks the start of another stage in the vessel’s construction. The tanker, which will operate in the Gulf of Gdańsk, is officially being built on behalf of the Japanese operator Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, which won the tender to deliver the FSRU project in Poland. The Japanese company’s client is Gaz-System, the national gas transmission system operator. The unit is being built at a shipyard in Ulsan owned by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Steel cutting for the vessel began in July.

The FSRU is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, although the vessel itself is to be handed over as early as this year to White Eagle Energy, a company established specifically to operate the FSRU. The ship is expected to be moored in the waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk in autumn 2027. By that time, all the necessary onshore and offshore infrastructure must be completed, including the gas pipeline that will transport the fuel inland, as well as a dedicated FSRU quay and a subsea pipeline.

The quay has been designed in such a way that, if needed, it will be able to handle two FSRU units. This is because market interest has emerged in the processing capacity of a potential second floating terminal. The entire capacity of the first unit, currently under construction in Ulsan, has already been booked by Orlen.

The FSRU units will receive gas cargoes from LNG carriers that will moor alongside them. The regasification process will then take place on board, after which the gas will be injected into the pipeline.