Colombia is due to receive its first LNG of the year, following a record breaking 2024.
Two LNGCs were reported to have signalled Cartegena as their destinations and were heading for the SPEC LNG import terminal, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea (CAS) data this week.
The Shell chartered ‘Pearl LNG’ arrived off the Colombian coast on 13th January with 70,000 tonnes of LNG loaded at Trinidad’s Atlantic LNG plant on 9th January, according to CAS.
Another LNGC, the bp operated ‘Celsius Granada’ was showing an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of 15th January and was also believed to have loaded at Trinidad.
It was thought that neither ship had berthed thus far.
The country experienced heavy rains in December, which reduced Colombia’s LNG demand into January.
Another bp operated LNGC, ‘Celsius Geneva’, was originally expected to arrive at Cartagena with a cargo but was diverted to Turkey on 9th January, a source said.
She had been sailing in the Caribbean, signalling SPEC LNG as her destination since early on 2nd January before heading off across the Atlantic.
Last year, Colombia recorded its highest annual and monthly LNG imports, handling 94.33 bill cu ft in 2024, up from 36.30 bill cu ft the year before, according to Commodity Insight’s data.
The country’s highest monthly imports occurred in December, totalling 15.17 bill cu ft, having reached their lowest level in June at 1.18 bill cu ft at the end of an El Nino driven drought that had caused an import spike between September, 2023 and May, 2024.
LNG is typically utilised to fuel three Colombian power plants in the country’s northern region, during periods of low hydro-power generation.
Last November, Colombia imported its first gas cargo for domestic use, which importer Calamari purchased for gas trader TPLGas. A December cargo also arrived for the same usage, a source had said.
LNGCs often have to wait several days to discharge their cargoes, due to the FSRU’s storage capacity, it was said.
