Honduras-based Genesis Energias, which chartered Bilbao Knutsen to serve its LNG-to-power project, announced the arrival of the vessel in Puerto Cortes in a social media post on Tuesday.
This vessel, with LNG storage capacity and specially refurbished for this poject, sailed for almost three months to reach its destination, Puerto Cortes, and will remain in the country for the next 18 years, becoming a “key part” of the national energy infrastructure, the company said.
Upon arrival, Bilbao Knutsen has already received the corresponding regulatory visits, ensuring that everything is in order to begin operations, Genesis Energias said.
The company did not provide any details on when it expects to launch its LNG-to-power project.
Honduras currently does not have LNG import facilities, so this project will add the country to the club of LNG importing nations.
Earlier this year, China’s Huarun Dadong yard announced that it had completed the FSU conversion job in cooperation with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Marine Solution, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai Group.
In August 2024, HD Hyundai Marine Solution announced a contract for one FSU conversion worth $30 million, saying the client was a European shipping company.
HD Hyundai Marine Solution said at the time that it plans to complete the contract by the first half of 2025.
London-based Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), who advised Honduras-based Genesis Energias on the chartering of Knutsen’s LNG carrier Bilbao Knutsen, revealed in December 2024 that HD Hyundai Marine Solution will convert the LNG carrier to an FSU.
WFW said the LNG carrier shall be used for the loading, storage, and discharging of LNG as part of the Genesis Energias LNG-to-power project in Honduras.
Genesis will import LNG internationally through the LNG terminal it is currently constructing in Puerto Cortes on Honduras’ Caribbean coast using the FSU for the onward transmission of LNG to the Brassavola thermal power plant.
The Genesis Energias website does not provide further information about the LNG-to-power project.
