Doha - Qatargas yesterday raised the roof on its fifth and final common liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank at Ras Laffan Industrial City.
The construction of the tanks began in March 2005 and the roof raising marks an important progress milestone in the construction of the tanks. After completion of the air raising the tanks are completed, tested and prepared for start-up with the first tank completion anticipated October 2007, a press release issued by Qatargas said.
The roof which has been built inside the tank is slowly lifted using a shift in air pressure to raise the roof from floor to the ceiling, when it reaches the top a team of welders secure the roof to the rim of the tank.
The tank roof raising requires a focused effort to ensure that the work is completed safely and that the all the people involved in this important task go home safely at the end of the day.
James Adams, Chief Operating Officer, Qatargas 2, said: "This is a great day for us, achieving this milestone means a lot to everyone who has worked so hard. We are pleased that the last roof raise has gone smoothly and that we have done this safely and on time. We look forward to the next step of safely completing this project."
There are five tanks in this tank farm each with a storage capacity of 148,000 cubic metres which is equivalent to just over one ship in the conventional LNG shipping fleet.
© The Peninsula 2007
