Yokogawa Participates in LNG15

From April 24 to 27, 2007, Yokogawa participated in the 15th International Conference & Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG15) at the Barcelona International Convention Center in Spain. At this event’s exhibition, Yokogawa hosted a 36 square meter booth that showcased an LNG carrier control system application and a complete operator training system for an LNG regasification plant. This attracted considerable attention among Yokogawa customers, supplementary suppliers, and potential partners.

Event Overview

Yokogawa’s booth

Held every three years, the LNG congresses are an opportunity for representatives of the LNG industry from all over the world to meet up and discuss industry issues. One thing is certain, our presence at LNG15 showed that Yokogawa is serious about the LNG business. Among the other companies active in this business, only Invensys had a booth at the event.

Producer and Consumer

Producer and consumer countries take turns hosting the event. This year was the turn for Spain, a consumer country that imports 99% of its gas requirements (and that it does so mainly via LNG). LNG16 is scheduled to be held in Algiers, the capital city of LNG producer Algeria.

Expectations Surpassed

LNG15

Attendance at LNG15 surpassed all expectations and attested to Spain’s position in the market as the world’s third largest importer of LNG. Around 500 companies from 55 countries took an active part in the event, and nearly 5,000 delegates, visitors, and exhibitors were in attendance.

Exhibition

Two hundred booths filled the 20,000 square meter exhibition hall and provided a full picture of the wide range of products and services available to the LNG industry. People with both commercial and technical interests visited the booths, and included representatives of the following:
• International and national oil companies
• Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies and licensors involved in the LNG business
• Companies with interests in gas and energy trading
• Providers of services like transportation and storage/regasification
• Builders of LNG carriers
• Suppliers of equipment like tanks, compressors, piping, and valves as well as automation systems
• Government agencies
• Media organizations
• Providers of business intelligence

Given the type and level of visitors that can be expected at an event like LNG15, Yokogawa’s goal was to attract the attention of as many visitors as possible, and to talk to them about their current and future business.

Actual Opportunities

All in all, it seems fair to say that LNG 15 was a success for Yokogawa. The attention of many of our visitors was caught by the displays showing Yokogawa’s global presence in the LNG industry and pictures of sites and carriers using Yokogawa solutions. Over 100 representatives of customers, supplementary suppliers, and partners visited our booth and left their business cards or contact details. Customer interests spanned all areas of the LNG supply chain (liquefaction, carriers, and regasification) and ranged from actual opportunities to potential interest.

Operator Training System

Operator training system

Instead of showing the usual hardware, the Yokogawa booth showcased an LNG carrier control system application and a complete operator training system (OTS) for an LNG regasification plant. The OTS was made available by a Yokogawa customer, Osaka Gas, and by Omega Simulation Systems, a Yokogawa joint venture that supplied the OTS technology. The OTS on display was identical to the system used by Osaka Gas at one of its LNG regasification terminals in Japan.

Apart from the technology displayed by Yokogawa, the booth also provided a space for discussions with customers by representatives drawn from throughout the Yokogawa Group, including individuals from the world headquarters, Omega Simulation Systems, and Yokogawa companies in Europe and Asia.