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Engineering and design company Houlder Ltd says it will be aiming to help attendees at the LNG Ship/Shore Interface Conference optimize ship and terminal operations at a bunker station, jetty and offshore.

During the London event on November 16-17, director Jonathan Strachan is due to co-present a conference session on jettyless LNG ship-to-shore transfers and bunkering together with Jens Norrgard, General Manager, Solutions and Proposal Management LNG, Wartsila.

"The extensive infrastructure required for a traditional LNG receiving jetty, combined with mooring dolphins, is likely to have a significant environmental impact coupled with high capital expenditure. In response to this conflict, Houlder and Wartsila have collaborated with floating hose supplier Trelleborg to support small to mid-scale LNG operations where fixed jetties are impracticable, too costly or environmentally damaging," Houlder said before the conference.

The floating transfer terminal (FTT) is based on a compact floating barge that connects to the LNG carrier by means of Houlder and KLAW LNG's KHobra transfer system, and to the shore via Trelleborg's Cryoline cryogenic floating hoses.

As Bunker Index reported earlier this month, the KHobra transfer system is a key component of the FTT self-propelled barge, which is able to shuttle to and from LNG vessels moored as far as 800 metres offshore. Trelleborg Cryolline LNG floating hoses can then transfer LNG and boil-off gas between the barge and any shore facility without a fixed jetty.

The FTT is designed as a flexible, quickly deployable solution that, thanks to a low draft barge and floating hoses, can operate in a wide range of possible locations at a fraction of the cost of fixed infrastructure.

Last year, Trelleborg described its Cryoline hose-in-hose transfer system for LNG as 'revolutionary' and 'game changing'. By utilizing ariel hoses with large inner diameters ranging from 16 to 20 inches, Trelleborg says operators now have a greater choice of configuration and more flexibility.

"In today's challenging markets, optimizing operability is crucial. Trelleborg's cryogenic floating hose is the only solution that could potentially offer up to 80 percent in operating cost reductions compared with traditional transfer solutions, equating to significant savings," Trelleborg said in 2016.