LNG

NLNG Train 7 startup next year

Nigerian LNG producer, NLNG is aiming to start up its $10 bill Train 7 LNG project by the end of next year, Managing Director, Adeleye Falade told reporters on the sidelines of Gastech. Once commissioned, the Bonny Island project will expand NLNG’s capacity to 30 mill tonnes per year from 22 mill tonnes today. It has faced repeated delays, most recently from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian/Ukraine conflict. NLNG is still operating under a force majeure that was imposed in 2022, Falade told the Gastech conference, after widespread flooding disrupted its supplies. The company is expected to lift that measure when it reaches a 90% utilisation rate, he said, adding that the plant is currently operating at 82%-83% utilisation. “We still have a delta of about 15% that we need to close,” Falade said. “Operationally, we are able to do that, but our biggest constraint is gas supply, and we’re working with all the relevant people, including the government, to be able to get more gas to flow into the plant.” However, the company is focused on meeting its existing contractual obligations to its buyers under force majeure, he added. Falade added that more interest in additional volumes and spot LNG cargoes emerged after exports via the Strait of Hormuz were curtailed by the Iran war. “People are looking at more diversified, reliable sources of supply,” he said. “Our priority currently is to continue to make sure that we fulfil our obligations to our existing customers and maximise as much production opportunity as possible that we have,” he added. NLNG is majority-owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Foreign partners include Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni.

EXMAR to place FSRU at Abidjan

Belgian gas carrier owner and operator, EXMAR has signed an agreement with Côte d'Ivoire Energies (CI-Energies) and Société Nationale d'Opérations Pétrolières de la Côte d'Ivoire (Petroci) for a 10 years’ lease of a 152,000 cu m and 250 mill standard cu ft per day FSRU. The FSRU will be moored at Abidjan and the contract includes its operation and maintenance. It will generate an annual EBITDA of around $21.3 mill. Petroci will source LNG from the international market, which will be imported through the FSRU from the third quarter of next year, and the unit will deliver the regasified LNG to CI-Energies to produce electricity. The FSRU is required to meet the increase in gas and power demand both inside Côte d’Ivoire, with its rising population, prosperous economy and growing mining industry; plus additional demand from the neighbouring countries. The project was flagged as a priority by President Ouattara at the start of his fourth term, at the beginning of this year.

GasEntec’s unveils new ownership structure

GasEntec Holdings, an LNG technology and assets company, has announced a new ownership structure designed to accelerate the company’s next phase of growth and expand the commercialisation of its proprietary LNG technologies and solutions. A consortium led by the Groupe Mimran has acquired a majority stake in GasEntec Holdings, the US holding company. Under the new structure, GasEntec Holdings is now the parent company of GasEntec’s South Korean operating business. Previous shareholders have all exited the company. GasEntec’s customer relationships, contracts, engineering organisation and ongoing global operations remain unchanged. GasEntec will continue to operate independently, with its technology development, engineering and operations centered in South Korea and an expanding commercial presence across global markets. The new structure provides GasEntec with additional capital and resources to build on its LNG innovation and project execution. GasEntec explained that it was expanding its technology portfolio, accelerating the commercialisation of proprietary solutions and pursuing new infrastructure opportunities across the global LNG value chain. Founded in South Korea in 2013, GasEntec has built an LNG technology and infrastructure platform spanning regasification, floating and onshore terminals, gas handling, cryogenic systems, and LNG logistics.

Bangladesh to buy nine LNG cargoes

Bangladesh’s Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase has approved the purchase of nine LNG cargoes this year through international quotation and direct procurement processes. The decision was taken at the committee’s 44th meeting of 2026 held with Finance Minister, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair, where three proposals from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division were discussed. Of the nine cargoes, five will be procured through the Request for Quotation (International) process. The UK’s TotalEnergies Gas & Power was recommended as the supplier for the 52nd cargo of this year at $28.95 per MMBtu, while Vitol Asia Singapore was recommended for the 56th cargo at $29.795 per MMBtu. Five cargoes are scheduled for delivery in October. The committee also recommended approval for the direct purchase of two LNG cargoes from US-based D’ARAB at $17 per MMBtu. In another proposal, it recommended the direct purchase of two LNG cargoes from Mind Mingle at $19 per MMBtu.

GTT Energy strengthens its services

French engineering and design group, GTT has announced two new developments within GTT Energy, the Group business unit dedicated to containment and energy management systems. This includes the launch of the LNG Performance Centre, a new service ecosystem designed to support shipowners and charterers in optimising LNGC fleet performance and cargo management, plus the introduction of an LNG as fuel solution for container ships featuring 2 barg technology. Enhancing the management of LNG operations on board LNGCs is becoming increasingly important, with the potential to improve operational performance and unlock new opportunities for value creation. The performance centre will provide an integrated approach built around three pillars: cargo management, voyage optimisation and containment system performance monitoring. It will combine advice from experts, including experienced Masters, available 24/7, with a suite of digital solutions underpinned by GTT’s proprietary data and models. GTT Energy’s containment technologies currently equip 86% of the LNGC fleet in operation worldwide. This substantial base represents nearly 20,000 cumulative years of operational experience at sea, together with extensive associated data and proprietary thermodynamic models.

Ships - Newbuildings, deliveries

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has won a Won1.65 trill ($1.22 bill) contract to build four LNGCs, thought to be for Dynacom, the company reported in a regulatory filing. With the latest order, the South Korean shipbuilder has secured contracts worth $7.3 bill thus far this year for 42 commercial vessels, including 18 LNGCs. Adding the two floating FLNG production, storage and offloading facilities valued at a combined $4.4 bill, SHI’s cumulative orders for 2026 have reached $11.7 bill, or 84% of its overall annual target. Compatriot Hanwha Ocean has launched Singapore’s first FSRU, designed to operate throughout its 25-year charter without drydocking. The 204,000 cu m FSRU is being built for Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and will be chartered to Singapore LNG Corp (SLNG), which plans to use the unit as Singapore’s second LNG import terminal. Hanwha said the requirement to maintain continuous regasification for that length of time forced a rethink of the conventional FSRU maintenance model. Commercial vessels would normally undergo drydocking and class surveys roughly every five years for work that cannot be completed while in service. Hanwha said it had fitted redundant equipment and more durable coatings, carried out dozens of additional risk assessments and extended its 3D model review process from the engine room across the entire vessel. Digital condition monitoring is another key part of the design. SLNG said the vessel carries several ABS SMART class notations, including SMART Machinery Health Monitoring (MHM), on its main generators. The system provides real-time machinery condition data to support predictive and condition-based maintenance rather than relying solely on scheduled servicing. Dedicated maintenance spaces and additional equipment clearances have also been incorporated so critical systems can be serviced onboard while the FSRU remains in operation. The 299 m-long FSRU will have regasification capacity of 5 mill tonnes per year and will be moored at Jurong Port, once fitted out. Elsewhere, Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has unveiled a new LNGC at SHI. The 174,000 cu m ‘Toho Emerald’ can operate on either LNG or conventional marine fuels. She is jointly owned by K Line and Toho LNG Shipping, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese gas utility, Toho Gas. The LNGC is scheduled for delivery in October, 2026.