Fabrication and repair specialist Seatriumhas scooped a contract from Golar LNG, for the upgrade of floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) ship Hilli Episeyo. The FLNG vessel is current working offshore Cameroon for independent operator Perenco, receiving gas from the Sanaga and Ebomé fields. Financial details of the job were not disclosed.
Seatrium’s scope of work related to the contract includes installation of a new soft-yoke mooring system in addition to life-extension and winterization efforts. According to Seatrium, the Hilli Episeyo will enter the yard in the third quarter of 2026.
Once the work is completed, the FLNG vessel will be redeployed to the Gulf of San Matias in the Rio Negro province offshore Argentina to receive natural gas from the Vaca Muerta formation onshore in Neuquen province under a 20-year commitment with Southern Energy SA (SESA), according to the operator. The 10-year, $2.9 billion initial phase of the Argentina LNG project, which reached FID earlier this year, is expect online in late 2027.
The vessel will be the first of two currently planned for the region. Golar’s MKII FLNG vessel Fuji, undergoing conversion at CIMC Raffles shipyard in Yantai, China, is expected to join the project in 2028, following its planned delivery in late 2027.
FLNG Hilli Episeyo has a nameplate capacity of 2.45 million tonnes per year. The Fuji will have capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per year.
SESA was formed in 2024 for the purpose of capturing feedstock natural gas from the region’s Vaca Muerta shale to fuel LNG projects. SESA shareholding companies include Pan American Energy (30%), YPF (25%), Pampa Energia (20%), Harbour Energy (15%), and Golar LNG (10%).
Seatrium has a history of working closely with Golar on its LNG projects. The contractor conducted the original conversion of Hilli Episeyo in 2017 and, in 2023, delivered the LNG carrier Gimi, which has recently commenced operations at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim field for supermajor BP.
