ClassNK (Chairman and President: Noboru Ueda) announces that it has released the latest version of its Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities for LNG/LPG Production, Storage, Offloading, and Regasification (Second Edition).

In February 2011, the leading classification society released its Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities for LNG/LPG Production, Storage, and Offloading in response to a growing need for clear technical guidelines for the construction and survey of Gas FPSOs.

Recent years have also seen a rise in FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit) projects. These offshore gas facilities have been gaining popularity due to their low cost (less than half the cost of an equivalent onshore facility) and the advantage of being able to move wherever demand is the highest for regasification.

In light of this industry trend ClassNK has clarified its guidelines to include FSRUs as well as FPSOs. As many of these facilities are often located close to shore, the amendments include design conditions which take into consideration the possibility and effects of tsunamis on offshore gas facilities. Tsunamis which occurred in the past at the specified operation site are to be investigated and the maximum tsunami which can occur at the site is to be taken into account during the design process.

The Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities for LNG/LPG Production, Storage, Offloading, and Regasification are available on the ClassNK website for ClassNK "My Page" users. Registration for ClassNK's "My Page" service is easy and free. Simply go to ClassNK's website at www.classnk.com and click on "My Page Login".