【Haichuan 119】Sudden electrical fire at Prelude FLNG, the world’s largest floating liquefied natural gas facility (FLNG) with an investment of 100 billion,

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The Prelude FLNG, Shell’s largest floating liquefied natural gas facility in operation in Australia and the world’s largest of its kind, experienced a sudden fire accident, resulting in another shutdown; approximately 150 crew members on board were evacuated urgently. According to Australian media reports, at around 11 p.m. on the evening of December 2 local time, smoke was detected in an electrical facility area on the Prelude FLNG, which activated the automatic fire detection and suppression system. The fire was extinguished before it could spread further, but it still caused the FLNG to lose its main power supply, forcing it to rely on backup diesel generators for operation. As a result of this accident, Shell has evacuated around 150 crew members from the ship, retaining only about 100 key crew members. Currently, Prelude FLNG is working to restore its main power supply, and production has been temporarily halted. Australia’s maritime safety regulatory authority has launched an investigation into the accident. It is understood that the Prelude FLNG is the largest floating offshore installation and floating liquefied natural gas facility in the world. With a length of 489 meters and a beam of 74 meters, it is roughly the size of 4 football fields, has a displacement of about 600,000 tons, and required approximately 260,000 tons of steel during its construction; it also holds over 150 patents. The Prelude FLNG is capable of producing 3.6 million tons of LNG, 1.3 million tons of condensate, and 400,000 tons of LPG per year. It is designed to withstand storms that occur once in a century, enabling it to continue operating despite the severe weather conditions during Australia’s cyclone season. Although the cost has never been disclosed, the industry estimates that the Prelude FLNG project cost over $17 billion (approximately 113.849 billion yuan), even exceeding that of the U.S. Navy’s Ford aircraft carrier (around $13 billion). However, Shell’s project has been plagued by various delays since the construction phase, which has led to rising costs. The construction of Prelude FLNG began in 2012 and was carried out by South Korean company Samsung Heavy Industries; it was Samsung Heavy Industries’ first FLNG project worldwide.