China’s opening up of its domestic oil and natural gas and LNG markets to new players has had mixed results at a time of weaker demand, particularly as regards the impact of global prices.
The 160,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Asia Vision” is scheduled to deliver part of a cargo from Qatar to the UK National Grid-operated Grain LNG import terminal in Kent, south east of London, after partially off-loading some of the shipment at the Zeebrugge importer terminal in Belgium.
Kinder Morgan, the largest US pipeline company and developer of the Elba Island liquefaction plant in the state of Georgia, has selected a subsidiary of the American Bureau of Shipping classification society to develop a maintenance and integrity program for the facility.
Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden and Russian Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller signed an agreement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to further their cooperation in the liquefied natural gas market and the Nord Stream pipeline project.
WorleyParsons, the Australian US LNG and energy engineering company, was awarded the contract for another phase of the Cutbank Ridge project as part of the long-term development of natural gas resources in northeast British Columbia that will eventually underpin LNG production plants.
Russian natural gas producer Gazprom said it planned to boost liquefied natural gas supplies to the Asia-Pacific region as part of its large-scale project plans for Siberia and areas such as Sakhalin Island where the nation’s only LNG export plant is located.
Bear Head LNG Corp., the Canadian export plant developer in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, has received final federal permission to import feed-gas from the US and export processed cargoes overseas.
German marine propulsion systems maker MAN Diesel and Turbo has secured another order from South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) under its latest contract with Greek shipping operator Maran Gas for the construction of two LNG carriers with dual-fuel options, including gas power.
French liquefied natural gas and energy engineering company Technip, which is currently in the middle of a takeover of FMC Technologies of the US, has signed an LNG accord with the oil and gas division of US conglomerate General Electric to cooperate on exploring digital solutions for LNG projects.
The Japanese Ishikari liquefied natural gas import terminal, located on the northern main island of Hokkaido, has begun construction of a fourth storage tank as part of the nation’s main LNG expansion plans.