Qatargas Uses Boil-Off Gas During Unloading Operations

Qatargas April 7 said it has initiated a programme to utilise LNG boil-off gas to power its chartered conventional LNG vessels during unloading operations at Japanese LNG terminals. The programme is being implemented with the cooperation of Qatargas' Japanese buyers.

LNG vessel Al Jasra had successfully conducted the first such operation while discharging at the Niigata LNG terminal in October 2019, the company said.

LNG tankers are designed to carry natural gas in liquid form at a temperature of – 163°C, close to the vaporisation temperature. This natural evaporation, known as boil-off, is unavoidable and has to be removed from the tanks in order to maintain the cargo tank pressure.

Qatargas said that using the boil-off natural gas instead of conventional fuel oil significantly reduces greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions over the course of the discharge operation.