The SOFEC Floating LNG Re-Gasification Facility is a proprietary concept for a weathervaning column-stabilized platform with a mooring system and marine thrusters for heading control.  The terminal can be located virtually anywhere close to salt caverns and to gas pipelines and thus can serve many differing requirements for offload rate, storage capacity, and gas send-out capacity.

The floating platform is readily moored in deep water using conventional catenary anchor legs.  It can also be moored in shallow water using a soft yoke mooring connected to a stationary tower on the seafloor. 

The large open deck area provides ample space for a choice of several types of vaporizers including open rack vaporizers, shell and tube exchangers, and submerged combustion vaporizers. 

A key aspect of this concept is the absence of cryogenic LNG submerged marine pipelines. This facility can be located at a distance from the caverns, limited only by the gas pipeline flow to the caverns and to gas pipeline infrastructure.  The improved stability of the SOFEC column-stabilized structure in a variety of sea states reduces relative motions with the side-by-side moored LNG carrier in comparison to LNG Re-Gas facilities based on a ship style mono-hull, barge hull, or a gravity base structure.  This reduced motion allows the LNG Loading Arms to offload in more severe sea-states thereby improving offloading availability.  This facility is scalable in throughput capacity and can be expanded to berth two ships simultaneously for a nearly continuous LNG offloading operation.