France’s GTT has won a contract for the tank design of a new floating liquefied natural gas vessel, understood to be the facility destined for Malaysian energy giant Petronas’ ZLNG nearshore project in Sabah, East Malaysia.

GTT confirmed it has received an order from its partner, South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries, for the tank design of a new FLNG unit on behalf of an Asian company.

While neither contractor is naming the ultimate client, Petronas is the only Asian company with an FLNG facility on order at Samsung.

With a total storage capacity of 200,000 cubic metres, this FLNG vessel will be the first to be fitted with the membrane containment system Mark III Flex developed by GTT.

The facility’s delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, which also tallies with the schedule of the ZLNG project.

Samsung and JGC of Japan last December received a Letter of Intent from Petronas for the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract for the $2 billion-plus nearshore ZLNG project.

The minimum 2 million tonnes per annum capacity barge-based ZLNG facility will be built at Samsung’s Geoje Island yard with JGC handling the topsides.

“We are proud to be involved in the construction of this FLNG. Thanks to our Mark III Flex technology, this FLNG will benefit from the best thermal performance available today. This new order brings to five the number of FLNGs fitted with GTT technologies,” commented GTT chief executive, Philippe Berterottiere.