What are the gasification ships Egypt is using to avoid power outages?

Egypt Independent

a day ago

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that his government is making great efforts to bring in gasification ships to ensure there will be no power outages this summer.
During the weekly press conference following the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Madbouly explained that: 'The Minister of Petroleum made a presentation that included the great efforts being made to bring in gasification ships to ensure there will be no power outages in summer, as we promised.'
'This summer, we will have four gasification ships, compared to one ship we had last year, so that we can secure the Egyptian state's needs for natural gas shipments.'
Madbouly continued: 'On the other hand, during the summer months, there will be a lower volume of natural gas production from Egyptian fields. However, with explorations continuing until September, rates will increase, in addition to the new discoveries that we hope will emerge soon.'
'But even without these discoveries, we will return to our pre-crisis levels in terms of domestic production within less than two years. If we add the expected new discoveries, we will see an acceleration in domestic gas production and Egypt will return to its former status as a gas exporter, not just an importer.'
Here's all you need to know about what 'gasification vessels' are and how they work:
Gasification process
Gasification is a chemical or heating process used to convert a substance into a gas, producing gaseous fuels by reacting heated carbon-containing materials with air, steam, or oxygen.
This process takes place at high temperatures, and the resulting gasification product is a mixture of flammable gases, bitumen compounds, other particles, and water vapor.
The proportions of the components vary depending on the gasification method, but all processes share the need to purify the gas before it can be used directly in gas engines or gas turbines.
How do gasification vessels work?
Gasification vessels convert liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its liquid state to gaseous form (natural gas).
Natural gas is transported between countries in its liquid state, so it is transported on special ships equipped with giant turbines to cool it to minus 160 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which it turns into a liquid.
The gas remains in its liquid form until it reaches the destination country. This is where gasification vessels come in.
These floating terminals receive imported gas shipments and convert them from liquid form to natural gas, suitable for direct consumption.
Cost of Gasification vessels
The cost of a gasification vessel is approximately US$300 million, while the value of gasification vessel leases exceeds $100 million annually.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm