Izar Construcciones Naval To Build Snohvit Barge

The Spanish shipyard group Izar Construcciones Naval is to build the barge which will carry the process equipment for the Snohvit project's gas liquefaction plant at Melkoya in the north of Norway. Statoil and its partners in the Snohvit license have signed a contract with the yard worth about NOK 170 million.

The barge – 154 meters long, 54 meters wide and nine meters high – will be built at Izar's yard in Ferrol, Spain. Following completion in August 2003, the barge will be towed to an outfitting yard where about 24,000 tons of process equipment for the gas liquefaction plant will be installed on its deck.

The gas liquefaction plant will convert natural gas from the Snohvit field into liquefied natural gas. Snohvit will start production in 2006. About 70 cargos of LNG per year will be shipped out from Melkoya.

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