Golar LNG to End Contract with Cameroon's Only Floating LNG Unit
Golar LNG has announced that it will end its contract for the floating liquefied natural gas unit (FLNG) Hilli Episeyo, which has been operating off the coast of Kribi in Cameroon since 2018. The contract is set to expire in the third quarter of 2026, before the vessel heads to Singapore for refurbishment and then redeployment to Argentina.
The loss of Hilli Episeyo will mark the end of Cameroon's only floating liquefaction capacity, which has been used to transform gas from the offshore Sanaga Sud field into export-grade LNG. The country has exported 1.2 million tonnes of LNG per year since 2018, with output rising to 1.4 million tonnes in 2022.
Golar's investor presentations have shown that the base contract for Hilli ended in July 2026 after a ramp-up phase that lifted cumulative production to around 10.2 million tonnes of LNG by end-2025. The vessel will then undergo life-extension and upgrade works in Singapore ahead of its new deployment in Argentina under a 20-year charter with Southern Energy S.A.
The loss of Hilli Episeyo highlights the vulnerability of Cameroon's national gas strategy, which is heavily dependent on a single tool controlled by a foreign operator. The country will need to find alternative outlets for unutilised gas and preserve export revenues linked to LNG in order to maintain state income and flows to the domestic market.