FMC Technologies, Inc. announced that it has signed an agreement with Technip France, on behalf of the Technip Samsung Consortium (TSC), to supply offshore loading arm systems as part of the Shell Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Project.

FMC's scope of supply includes seven offshore footless marine loading arms, four for liquefied natural gas and three for liquefied petroleum gas. FMC's Loading Systems business in Sens, France will design and manufacture the equipment.

"Today's announcement expands our existing support of the Prelude development, having received the subsea equipment contract in June of 2011," said Robert Potter, FMC's Executive Vice President, Energy Systems. "The Prelude FLNG facility will be the largest floating offshore facility in the world, and we are pleased the Technip Samsung Consortium has selected our loading systems."

FLNG opens up new business opportunities for countries looking to develop their gas resources, bringing more natural gas to market. Shell is the first to go ahead with such a project, Prelude FLNG.

The Prelude facility will be built by TSC at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, Korea. It will measure 1,600 feet (488 meters) from bow to stern and weigh around 600,000 tonnes when fully loaded. It will be moored over 120 miles (200 kilometers) from land and will produce gas from offshore subsea fields. The facility will treat and liquefy the gas onboard via a cooling process before storing and exporting the LNG via conventional LNG carriers.