BP, Golar LNG Agree 11-Month Delay at Tortue

BP has agreed with shipowner Golar LNG on an 11-month delay for the hook-up of the converted Gimi floating LNG vessel, which will be used to develop the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project off Mauritania and Senegal, Golar LNG said on October 1.

Golar LNG signed a 20-year deal with BP for the charter of Gimi in February 2019, but it received a force majeure notice from the UK major in April this year. BP claimed it would not be able to connect the vessel in 2022 as planned, owing to coronavirus disruptions.

That force majeure has now been lifted and the pair have agreed on a new schedule, Golar LNG said.

BP leads a consortium developing GTA that also includes Texas-based Kosmos, Senegal's Petrosen and Mauritania's SMPHM. They took a final investment decision (FID) on the project's first phase, which will produce 2.5mn metric tons/yr of LNG, in December 2018.

FIDs on its second and third phases were expected in 2020 but have been pushed back to mid-2022 and mid-2023 respectively, Kosmos confirmed in March.