The Caribbean Floating LNG (FLNG) facility undocked from the Wison Offshore & Marine dry dock in Nantong, China, bringing the project closer to commercial reality, a press release said.

FLNG liquefaction and storage facilities are expected to significantly reduce the cost and time required to monetize and deliver gas to market. The result will be broader use of natural gas globally.

The Caribbean FLNG project, which is expected to be the world’s first operational FLNG facility, is being delivered by Wison Offshore & Marine (Wison) at its yard in Nantong under an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning contract with EXMAR.

The unit comprises a nonpropelled barge that will be operated off the Caribbean coast of Colombia for Pacific Rubiales Energy and equipped to convert 2 MMcm/d (72 MMcf/d) of natural gas into LNG for temporary storage and export.

Wison and Black & Veatch are now in the process of completing the commissioning activities on the facility in preparation for sail away and delivery to its location in Colombia by the end of the second quarter of 2015.

With the Caribbean FLNG unit out of its Nantong dry dock, Wison is now using the area for fabrication of its second LNG facility, a barge-based floating regasification unit for a 50/50 joint venture between EXMAR and Pacific Midstream Holding Corp., a fully owned affiliate of Pacific Rubiales Energy.