Golar LNG has acquired the LNG carrier Grace Dahlia, the world's largest Moss-type vessel, to convert it into its fourth FLNG unit, the second of MkII design, ordered in August from CIMC Raffles in China with delivery expected in 2029.
Golar LNG announced the acquisition of the LNG carrier Grace Dahlia, the largest Moss-type vessel in the world, to convert it into its fourth floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit. The deal, concluded with Japanese shipping line NYK Line, completes a key piece that had been missing from the company's expansion program.
Built in 2013 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Sakaide, the Grace Dahlia measures 300 meters in length overall and features four Moss-type spherical tanks, with a storage capacity of 177,427 cubic meters. The vessel was developed by Kawasaki with a reheat steam turbine propulsion system.
The Grace Dahlia will serve as the donor vessel for FLNG No. 4, a MkII-design unit ordered on August 12, 2026, from Chinese shipyard CIMC Raffles in Yantai, under an EPC contract worth approximately $2.45 billion, according to Splash. The new unit will be converted in parallel with the FLNG Esperanza at the same shipyard, with delivery expected by late 2029, and will offer roughly 20% more storage capacity than Esperanza, which Golar says will give potential customers greater offloading flexibility.
The FLNG Esperanza, being built from the former 148,500-cubic-meter LNG carrier Fuji LNG, is scheduled to complete conversion by late 2027, before heading to Argentina for a 20-year contract with Southern Energy set to begin in the second half of 2028. Golar already operates or has committed two other FLNG units: the Gimi, under a 20-year contract with BP at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development off Mauritania and Senegal, and the Hilli, which left Cameroon bound for Singapore for upgrade works ahead of its 20-year deployment off Argentina starting next year.
With the addition of the fourth FLNG unit, Golar's controlled liquefaction capacity will surpass 12 million tonnes per year, a 40% increase from before this latest expansion. The company has increasingly focused its business on floating liquefaction, after selling its last conventional LNG carrier in 2025 following five decades in LNG shipping.