Charterers, Qatargas and RasGas, and their Shareholders are pleased to announce that their chartered Q-Max vessel, Rasheeda, has successfully commissioned its gas burning M-Type Electronically Controlled – Gas Injection (ME-GI) System during the second phase of gas trials. The Project, sponsored by Qatar Petroleum in anticipation of global environmental legislation, is reported to have cost its stakeholders in excess of USD 30 million.
Qatar Petroleum President and Chief Executive Officer, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, said: “The protection of the environment is a deeply held value within Qatar Petroleum and we are very encouraged by the success of this important project. I would like to convey our sincere appreciation to the project’s stakeholders who have worked so hard to help fulfil this vision."
The Rasheeda vessel was built in 2010 and it is wholly owned by Nakilat, a Qatari Marine Company. The ME-GI system was installed on the vessel at the Erhama bin Jaber Al Jalahma shipyard in Qatar in June 2015.
Qatargas is pleased to announce that the commissioning of the system was successfully completed off the Spanish coast in mid-September. This milestone represents an important achievement as it is the first time to prove the commercial use of ME-GI technology for maritime propulsion.
Qatargas Chief Executive Officer, Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani said: “Qatargas is very pleased with the safe and successful commissioning of Rasheeda’s ME-GI system which would not have been possible without the close collaboration between the Charterers, the vessel Owner, the vessel Operator, the engine manufacturer and the equipment suppliers. The project’s success represents a significant milestone in our efforts to proactively meet upcoming environmental regulations, honoring our commitment to ensure the highest environmental standards and deliver efficient operations on behalf of our shareholders. Through the implementation and testing of new technologies such as ME-GI, we demonstrate our continued commitment to build a world-class, pace-setting, “premier” organisation – one that our people and our country are proud of."
The system will further undergo extensive technical and commercial evaluation to determine its potential for installation on the other vessels that are part of the Qatari Q-Fleet. The Qatar fleet comprises of 14 Q-Max and 31 Q-Flex large LNG carriers which all use dual Man Diesel Turbo’s (MDT) S70-ME low speed diesel engines for propulsion.