Measurement engineering across LNG terminal and FSRU infrastructure.

Terminal infrastructure: measurement beyond the transfer point

Ship/shore custody transfer — the GIIGNL-method calculation that sets the cargo quantity for commercial settlement — is one measurement event in a terminal that runs continuously. This page covers the rest of the terminal: storage inventory, boil-off gas management, regasification and send-out, and the operational and siting context specific to LNG terminals and FSRUs. Where a facility needs the custody transfer methodology itself examined — ship's figure and shore figure reconciliation, density and calorific value determination — that scope is covered by LNG Custody Transfer Measurement and our GIIGNL method guide.

Once cargo is ashore or aboard an FSRU, it moves through terminal-owned systems with their own instrumentation and failure modes: storage tank inventory management, boil-off gas handling through compression and recondensing, or reliquefaction where fitted, with flaring or venting confined to the upset and emergency cases permitted under the applicable methane-emissions rules, and — at import terminals and FSRUs — regasification and send-out metering into the downstream network, or feed-gas metering into the liquefaction train at export terminals. FSRUs add a further layer: cargo receipt, storage, and regasification run from a single moored hull, where vessel motion affects tank gauging technology choices, mooring exposure (jetty-moored or turret-moored) affects transfer scheduling and therefore boil-off generation during extended alongside periods, and the send-out riser to shore is a distinct measurement interface from the ship/shore cargo transfer itself.

Terminal siting and layout — jetty and marine approach design, tank spacing, and hazard exclusion zones set under the applicable facility siting requirements for the terminal's jurisdiction — together with permitting review from the port or harbour authority, the maritime safety authority, and the environmental regulator, determine where measurement instrumentation can be installed, accessed for calibration, and inspected. Commercial structure adds a further variable: a tolling terminal reconciles throughput against individual capacity-holder allocations, while a merchant import or export terminal accounts for its own cargo movements directly — and the two structures call for different mass balance and reporting cadences.

FUTUREGAZ services for LNG terminals & FSRUs