STAR BUSINESS REPORT

Gas supplies are unlikely to increase this month as a damaged floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) owned by Summit Group will require repairs abroad, said the company yesterday.

“The Summit LNG Terminal is expected to return to Bangladesh after repairs, hopefully within three weeks,” read the Summit statement.

It said, according to assessments by Bureau Veritas, certification societies and international inspectors, the vessel was now ready to discharge all onboard liquefied natural gas (LNG) before proceeding to a dry dock in either Singapore or the Middle East for necessary repairs.

While Cyclone Remal was raging last month, a broken stray steel structure weighing hundreds of tonnes struck the Summit LNG Terminal, causing significant damage, the statement reads.

“The impact sheared the vessel’s outer hull, approximately one metre below the waterline, leading to water ingress into the ballast tanks,” it said.

“Despite the severe monsoon conditions, the crew, operators, and owners of the vessel, along with the Summit team, worked tirelessly day and night to secure the vessel and its LNG cargo,” it said.

“Their bravery and relentless efforts successfully prevented the loss of the cargo,” it added.

“This unfortunate incident was mitigated by the grace of Almighty and the hard work of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL), customer Petrobangla, the Summit LNG team, our port service operator PSA Marine, and the vessel provider Excelerate,” it said.

“Due to their diligence, a major accident was averted,” it further added.

Bangladesh avails gas from two FSRU having a total capacity to supply 1,100 million cubic feet of gas a day (mmcfd). The accident reduced the supply to 600 mmcfd.

Overall, Petrobangla can currently supply around 2,600 mmcfd against a demand of 3,800 mmcfd.

The FSRU only resumed operations in mid-April after undergoing maintenance in Singapore for two and a half months.