Training Course: FSRU Commercial and Contractual Strategies Course

FSRU commercial and contractual strategy is the work of choosing a business model, setting tariffs and negotiating charters and terminal use agreements so that a floating storage and regasification unit earns predictable revenue with exposures placed where they belong. This 5-day advanced course is for commercial, contracts and finance specialists in gas import ventures, and delegates finish with a deal strategy memo recommending a business model, tariff and clause positions.

Introduction

Three references frame the course. A time charter party is the contract under which an owner provides a crewed unit for hire, compared here with the bareboat form. A terminal use agreement sets out capacity rights, throughput commitments and tariffs between terminal owner and users. The IGC Code is the international code for ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk, covering the unit's design. The level is advanced: delegates already know how gas import terminals work and now focus on deal structure. Teaching uses clause reviews, tariff models and case studies from short-term and long-term deployments.

Course Objectives

• Compare floating and onshore regasification and justify which route fits an import opportunity
• Distinguish ownership from charter-in models and select a capacity structure for a terminal
• Apply CAPEX, OPEX and tariff build-up to test whether a regasification fee covers costs and returns
• Interpret time charter, bareboat and terminal use agreement clauses on off-hire, payment and force majeure
• Apply liability allocation principles to place each exposure with the best-placed party
• Define availability and reliability KPIs that link unit uptime to revenue delivery

Target Audience

• Commercial and business development managers in gas import ventures who must decide which business model to pursue
• Contracts and legal specialists who must judge which charter and terminal use clauses to concede or defend
• Finance analysts who must decide whether tariffs and financing make a terminal bankable
• Terminal operations managers who must judge how uptime commitments in contracts affect maintenance plans
• Utility and gas buyer representatives who must choose between capacity models when contracting regasification

Course Outline

Day 1: Floating Regasification Business Basics and Feasibility

• Floating Storage and Regasification Unit: Core Systems and Role in Gas Imports
• Floating vs Onshore Regasification: Speed, Cost and Flexibility Compared for Import Terminals
• Gas Market Overview: Import Demand, Supply Sources and Floating Terminal Uptake
• Site Selection and Feasibility: Berth, Metocean, Pipeline and Permitting Factors
• Development Pathways: Phases From Concept Through Final Decision to Start-Up

Day 2: Business Models, Tariffs and Financing

• Ownership vs Charter-In Models: Owning the Unit Compared With Leasing Capacity
• Capacity Models: Tolling, Merchant and Integrated Structures for Terminal Revenue
• CAPEX, OPEX and Tariff Build-Up: Turning Costs Into a Regasification Fee
• Profitability Analysis: NPV, IRR and Payback Applied to a Floating Terminal
• Project Finance and Bankability: Lender Tests, Counterparty Credit and Market Exposure

Day 3: Charters, Terminal Use Agreements and Allocation of Liabilities

• Time Charter vs Bareboat Charter: Crewed Hire Compared With Demise of the Vessel
• Terminal Use Agreement: Capacity Rights, Throughput Commitments and User Obligations
• O&M, SPA, EPC and Marine Service Contracts: Interfaces Across the Contract Chain
• Guarantees, Payment, Off-Hire and Force Majeure: Key Clauses Shaping Revenue Certainty
• Liability Allocation and Negotiation: Placing Exposures With the Best-Placed Party

Day 4: Terminal Operations, Uptime and Revenue Delivery

• Ship-to-Ship Cargo Transfer: Receipt Procedures and Their Effect on Throughput
• Regasification and Grid Integration: Send-Out Rates, Pressure and Pipeline Interfaces
• Availability vs Reliability: Contracted Uptime Compared With Equipment Failure Frequency
• Maintenance Strategy and Dry-Dock Planning: Keeping Units on Hire Through Service Life
• KPIs and Cost Optimisation: Digital Monitoring, AI and Predictive Maintenance for Terminal Economics

Day 5: Applied Practice: Deal Review, Compliance and Strategy

• Integrated Exposure Register: Applying Earlier Clause and Tariff Findings to One Deal
• IGC Code and ESG Requirements: Applying Maritime, Safety and Environmental Rules to Terminals
• Continuity and Emergency Preparedness: Applying Response Plans to Terminal Disruption Scenarios
• Short-Term Charter vs Long-Term Ownership Case Studies: Lessons From Real Deployments
• Deal Strategy Memo: Completing a Business Model, Tariff and Clause Recommendation

Skills You Will Gain

• Regasification Business Models
• Tariff Build-Up
• Charter Party Analysis
• Terminal Use Agreements
• Off-Hire and Force Majeure Clauses
• Liability Allocation
• Uptime KPIs
• Bankability Assessment

Why Attend This Course

• From viewing a floating terminal as a vessel purchase to comparing ownership, charter and capacity models
• From quoting a regasification fee from benchmarks to building it from CAPEX, OPEX and target returns
• From reading charters clause by clause to seeing how off-hire, payment and force majeure terms move revenue
• From scattered deal notes to a deal strategy memo with business model, tariff and clause recommendations

Conclusion

Commercial strategy for a floating terminal decides who pays, who carries which exposure and how dependably the unit earns. The course makes three distinctions clear: floating versus onshore regasification, time versus bareboat charters, and availability versus reliability. It is the right choice for experienced commercial, contracts and finance specialists who need deal structure in one week; a ten-day edition covering the full development, operations and asset cycle suits those who need wider coverage.

Course FAQs

What is FSRU commercial and contractual strategy?

It is the set of decisions that make a floating storage and regasification unit pay: the business and ownership model, the regasification tariff, the charter and terminal use agreements, and how liabilities and downtime are shared among owner, operator and users.

What is the difference between a time charter and a bareboat charter for an FSRU?

Under a time charter the owner supplies the unit with crew and keeps operational control, earning hire unless the unit goes off-hire. Under a bareboat charter the charterer takes over the bare unit, crews and runs it, and carries most operating exposure.

Which contract forms does the FSRU commercial and contractual strategies course follow?

The course follows the time charter party and bareboat charter forms, the terminal use agreement for capacity and tariffs, the O&M, SPA and EPC contracts that interface with them, and the IGC Code for the unit's technical requirements.

Is the FSRU commercial and contractual strategies course right for a contracts manager?

Yes. Contracts managers gain a clause-level understanding of off-hire, guarantees, payment and force majeure terms and how each shifts revenue and exposure, which supports negotiation positions in charters and terminal use agreements.

What do delegates produce on the FSRU commercial and contractual strategies course?

Delegates produce a deal strategy memo for a case terminal, recommending a business model, a tariff built from costs and returns, priority clause positions in the charter and terminal use agreement, and an exposure register.