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This Spotlight is sponsored by PETRONAS.
PETRONAS just released Merintis Horizon, a documentary offering an insider's look at PETRONAS Floating Liquified Natural Gas (PFLNG) DUA
In case you didn't know, PFLNG DUA is the world's first deepwater floating LNG facility, operating in waters over 1,300 metres deep.
Recently, in May 2025, PFLNG marked a significant milestone by delivering its 100th cargo of liquified natural gas (LNG).
Presented by PETRONAS in partnership with TV3, Tonton, and Majalah 3, Merintis Horizon is a 47-minute documentary captures this milestone and offers viewers a rare, firsthand experience of life aboard PFLNG DUA.
Watch the full documentary here:
Located at the Rotan gas field about 190km off the coast of Sabah, PFLNG DUA taps into gas reserves that would otherwise be difficult or uneconomical to develop
Unlike traditional LNG projects that require pipelines to transport gas to land-based facilities, PFLNG DUA carries out the entire LNG process at sea. Gas extracted from subsea wells is processed, cooled into liquid form, and stored onboard before being transferred directly to LNG carriers for export.
Constructed at Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje, South Korea, the facility was completed in 2020 before sailing back to Malaysian waters. Today, it stands among the world's first deepwater floating LNG facilities in active operation.
While PFLNG DUA is a feat of engineering, its operations depend heavily on the people who run it
Engineers, technicians, safety officers, and support crews live and work offshore for extended periods, often spending weeks or months away from their families. Operating around the clock in a high-risk environment, they monitor complex systems, maintain safety standards and ensure continuous production.
The video highlights the discipline, teamwork, and mental resilience required to sustain operations far from shore, where decisions must be made carefully and mistakes are not an option.
Among those featured is Lim Chin Chee, one of PFLNG DUA's female operations engineers.
Her role places her at the centre of daily offshore operations, overseeing process stability and responding to operational demands in real time. Lim's presence signals a gradual shift towards greater diversity, showing how technical expertise and leadership define offshore capability.
One of the highlights of the documentary is the docking and transfer process between PFLNG DUA and an LNG cargo
Before LNG can be transferred, an LNG carrier must first be carefully manoeuvred and docked alongside PFLNG DUA. This process alone can take up to three hours, as both vessels must account for movement, sea conditions and strict safety clearances.
Once securely docked, the LNG transfer process takes approximately 14 hours. Liquefied gas is pumped at extremely low temperatures under closely monitored pressure conditions, with multiple layers of safety checks in place to protect both vessels and crew throughout the operation.
Each LNG cargo produced by PFLNG DUA contains about 147,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas. To put that into perspective, this amount of energy is enough to power the whole of Langkawi island for around 20 months, or supply electricity to roughly one million homes for a month.
Merintis Horizon marks five years of operation for PFLNG DUA and 100 successful LNG cargoes in May 2025
The documentary celebrates two major milestones for PFLNG DUA. More than just a numerical achievement, the milestone reflects operational maturity, proof that Malaysia can safely and consistently operate one of the world's most complex floating LNG facilities.
Rather than an endpoint, the 100th cargo represents a foundation for future offshore energy innovation, reinforcing Malaysia's position as a global LNG player and a pioneer in floating energy solutions.
Merintis Horizon is now available for streaming on TV3's YouTube channel or on Tonton.
