06 August 2008
Continuing to rigorously strive for completing the construction of the LNG plant in Balhaf in time, work on the erection of the Inner Tank Shells continues to make good progress.

The process of erecting the shells is complicated and involves the utilization of several different cranes to winch up the various parts of the tank shells. It starts with transferring the shell plates into the tanks and lifting them into position. Then, the plates are fixed using special jigs until the butts are welded. After that, all temporary attachments are removed prior to hydro-test.


Progress on constructing the LNG inner tanks stands at over 50%. It is expected that the tanks will be ready for cool down when required. Currently, four rings of Tank 1 have been erected and welding is ongoing. On Tank 2, 7 rings have been erected and welding is ongoing. Each tank will have (10) rings.


The function of the inner tanks is to contain the LNG. The shell is an open top unsealed tank with no roof attached. It is 72 metres in diameter and 36.8 metres in height. The total weight of each shell is 1078 tons without the stiffeners. Capacity of each tank is 140,000 M³.