Increasing Demand for Regas - How Large Does Exmar See the Regas Fleet Growing
Jay Cotaya, Exmar Offshore Company
Exmar confirmed a long-term charter in December 2005 with Excelerate Energy LP for a fifth LNG regasification vessel (LNGRV) to be built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd (DSME). This vessel will incorporate the GTT membrane containment system together with Excelerate's Energy Bridge™ technology. The ship will have a capacity of approximately 150,900 cu. m and will be delivered in the 2Q 2009. Excelerate Energy anticipates using the ship to deliver regasified LNG to its Gulf Gateway terminal offshore Louisiana as well as support their application to construct the Northeast Gateway terminal located offshore in Massachusetts Bay, near Boston. The vessel is owned by a 50/50 joint venture between Exmar and Excelerate Energy, as is the revised ownership structure for the vessel, Explorer, announced in July.

Lessons Learned from the Installation of the World's First Regas Buoy
Jens Kaalstad, president, Advanced Production and Loading (APL)
APL’s submerged turret loading (STL™) system, some 116 miles offshore Louisiana, will have accumulated nearly one year of operations since Excelerate Energy began offloading LNG in March 2005. Similar STLs have had decades of performance in the North Sea. Kaalstad has been asked to describe the lessons learned from the installation of the first LNG STL and how new designs will benefit from the experience.

Why Conventional Terminal Developers Should Respect Regas Ship Competition
John Wolff, director, LNG, Zeus Development Corporation
While LNG turret and buoy systems are commonly more expensive per MMBtu than conventional terminals, smaller investment is devoted to fixed infrastructure, which makes the turret and buoy systems highly flexible and able to target profitable peak-demand markets. What seasonal premium is enough to warrant developers adding turret and buoy systems on top of conventional shore-based terminals, and what are the implications for profitability to the owners of conventional terminals? Wolff will address these questions.

The Neptune Deepwater Project - Supplemental Gas Supply to Everette
Richard M. Paglia, vice president, Market Development, SUEZ LNG NA LLC
The Neptune Deepwater project is a prime example of a regas-ship buoy in concert with an existing terminal, the Distrigas terminal in Everett, Massachusetts. Suez is the owner of the Distrigas terminal and in October 2005, it received a letter from the U.S. Coast Guard deeming its application for the Neptune Deepwater Port complete and ready for review. Without the project, Suez says, New England could face a supply gap approaching 500 million cubic feet per day by 2010. Paglia has been asked to describe how the two terminals will work together and the implications around the world for other onshore baseload terminals with buoys.

Regasifying LNG in Cold Water
Tony LaValle, Chicago Power & Process
An advantage of Excelerate Energy's Gulf Gateway deepwater terminal is the ability to use seawater as the warmant to vaporize LNG. In colder waters like those offshore Massachusetts, ships will need to use other sources of heat. This presentation will discuss these issues.

Making Every Ship a Potential Regas Ship: Latest Advancements in the Remora HiLoad Technology
Lars Odeskaug, president, TORP Technology
Remora Technologies' HiLoad system would allow any conventional LNG ship to serve as regas ship. The technology is designed to allow faster vaporization of the cargo -- up to 1.0 Bcf/d, and thereby, improve the economics of the terminal. Odeskaug will describe the latest design elements and the implications of seawater vaporization.

A Non-Biocide Approach to Ship Regasification: The Latest Advancements in the Bishop Regas Process
Bill Bishop, Conversion Gas Imports
CGI has done further work on its vaporizer, indicating the impact on seawater biota should be low. The basis for this low kill rate is that CGI injects no biocide into the seawater, but rather uses a recyclable flush system between deliveries. Moreover, the fluid dynamics indicate that biota do not come in contact with the cold wall of the heat exchanger. CGI has applied to the DOE for funding to demonstrate this.

Concerns for Seawater LNG Vaporization and Steps Being Taken by NOAA to Investigate Its Harmful Affects
William T. Hogarth, assistant administrator for fisheries, NOAA
The unknown effect of LNG vaporization systems on marine biota has been an issue for the fishing industry and other groups concerned for marine habitat. Consequently, regulators have delayed applications for offshore LNG terminals that rely on seawater vaporization until further studies can be performed. Yet, approximately 80% of the world's LNG is vaporized with seawater, especially in Japan -- a nation heavily reliant on its fishing industry. Moreover, the replacement technology for seawater vaporization is most often gas-fired systems that consume fuel and emit carbon pollution. What is the current position of NOAA on seawater vaporizers and when might a decision about their use be issued? These are some of the questions posed to Hogarth.

Lunch

Potential Effects on Marine Biota from Seawater Use at LNG Terminals
Dr. Craig Swanson, principal, Applied Science Associates
Applied Science Associates (ASA) is an international leader in developing and using computer modeling tools to address challenges regarding water pollution, from permitting facilities to accidental spills. ASA has extensive experience in analyzing the biological effects from the construction and operation of many types of facilities, including offshore LNG terminals. Dr. Swanson and Dr. Deborah French McCay led the technical team at ASA in studying the effects of seawater vaporization on marine life for several proposed offshore LNG facilities. Dr. Swanson's presentation will describe the prime issues with this technology and how industry might address these issues.

Blocking the Impingement or Entrainment of Seawater Organisms
Wilson Scott, EPA
Scott has been asked to describe EPA's perspectives on methods that might be used to block marine organisms from becoming impinged or entrained in the flowstream of LNG vaporization systems.

Offshore Alternatives to Open-Rack Vaporizers
Joe Nelson, manager, Mustang Engineering
Mustang Engineering has devised an alternative solution to seawater vaporizer systems. Are they large enough to do the job, without causing excessive fog? What is their cost and foot print relative to conventional open-rack or shell-and-tube vaporizers? These are some of the questions to be posed to Souder.