Abstract: An economical system provides gaseous hydrocarbon to numerous locations (16, 18) that are each in the vicinity of an ocean coast, so the local inhabitants have access to low cost, easily supplied by pipeline and clean-burning natural gas. One system includes at least one self-propelled FSRU (floating storage and regas unit, 200 in FIG. 6) that unloads LNG from a tanker (202) that has sailed more than 400 km. The FSRU sails a much smaller distance, such as 25 km, to a local facility (12A, 14A) where a regas unit (210) on the FSRU heats the LNG and delivers the gas.

Abstract: An economical system provides gaseous hydrocarbon to numerous locations (16, 18) that are each in the vicinity of an ocean coast, such as islands in a developing country, so the coastal inhabitants have access to low cost, easily supplied by pipeline and clean-burning natural gas. The system includes a local supply station (24), or hub, that stores natural gas, as by receiving LNG (liquefied natural gas) that has been liquefied by cooling it to ?160° C., from a large tanker (20) having a storage capacity of over 50 million standard cubic feet of natural gas. Shuttle boats (40) that each has a much smaller LNG storage capacity than the tanker, load LNG from the local supply station, carry it to one of a plurality of local coastal stations (12, 14), heat the LNG to produce gaseous hydrocarbons, and transfer the gaseous hydrocarbons to an offshore receiving facility of the local coastal station.