A system and method for unloading highly pressurized compressed natural gas from transport vessels by depressurizing the gas through flow lines linking a series of automated flow control valves that lower the gas pressure to a predetermined level, the valves being linked in series with and separated by heat exchangers in which the lower pressure gas flowing through the system is also reheated to a predetermined temperature by a heat exchange medium recirculation system in which the heat exchange medium is reheated by a heat source that can be internal to the system. The use of a minor portion of the depressurized and reheated gas as fuel gas to reheat the heat exchange medium is also disclosed. The subject system can be skid-mounted if desired.