LNG

May 28 (LNGJ) - Two LNG carriers carrying Russian cargoes have entered the North Sea to discharge volumes at West European regasification terminals. The tanker “Nikolay Yevgenov” with 172,600 cubic metres of capacity lifted a cargo on May 23 from the Russian Yamal plant in Northern Siberia.

   The Cypriot-flagged vessel “Fedor Litke” with 177,000 cubic metres capacity was also heading for a regional terminal with a shipment loaded on May 24 at the Yamal facility, according to shipping data. A third carrier, the 172,000 cubic metres capacity “Yakov Gakkel”, was heading back to the Russian LNG export plant at Sabetta after delivering a cargo to the French import terminal in Dunkirk.

Novatek, the Russian natural gas company and operator of the Yamal LNG export plant and developer of the delayed Arctic LNG II facility hit by Western sanctions on equipment imposed because of the Ukraine invasion, has reported operational results for the first quarter of 2024 as it continued to supply LNG cargoes to the European Union.

Novatek’s results statement showed it had resumed full production at the Ust-Luga complex, the huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and condensate processing plant that was damaged by fire on January 21, 2024, after reportedly being the subject of a Ukrainian drone attack.

Novatek resumed gas condensate processing at its Ust-Luga complex on February 11 after fire damage was repaired.

The company said it processed 1.4MT of stable gas condensate at the previously damaged Ust-Luga facility during the first quarter of 2024, which was 22 percent lower compared with the first three months of 2023 when 1.8MT was processed.

Natural gas sales

Novatek’s first-quarter 2024 total natural gas sales volumes to the end of March, including LNG, amounted to 21.47 billion cubic metres, a decrease of 3.8 percent compared with the same three months of 2023 when the total was 22.33 Bcm.

Novatek said its hydrocarbon production totaled 167.4 million barrels of oil equivalent, including 21.12 Bcm of natural gas and 3.5 million tons of liquids comprising gas condensate and crude oil.

This represented an increase of almost 2.5 percent in total hydrocarbons production compared with the first quarter of 2023 when the total was 163.9 million boe.

Novatek said it processed 3.3 million tonnes of unstable gas condensate at the Purovsky Processing Plant, which was 2.8 percent less than the 3.4MT processed in the prior-year quarter.

Preliminary total sales volumes of liquid hydrocarbons amounted to 4.3MT, which was 11 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2023.

Yamal cargoes

Novatek added that it had 0.2 Bcm of natural gas, including LNG, and 1.2MT of stable gas condensate and petroleum products in storage or transit and these were recognized as inventory.

Cargoes from the Yamal plant in the Russian Arctic are still being unloaded in EU nations with the UK being the only LNG importer in Western Europe to formally ban LNG from Russia.

The main EU destinations for Yamal LNG in the first quarter of 2024 have been Belgium, France and Spain.

LNG production started in December 2023 at the first Train at the Arctic LNG II project on the Gydan Peninsula on the Gulf of Ob, though Novatek has failed to ship any cargoes so far after reported problems with the liquefaction processing.

The second and third liquefaction Trains were now delayed as well and are scheduled to begin operations in 2025.

The Arctic LNG II Trains and facilities are being pre-built at a fabrication yard in the Murmansk region of Russia onboard gravity-based structures and are being towed to the Gydan Peninsula project site.

Each Arctic LNG II liquefaction Train installed on the platforms will have production capacity of 6.6 million tonnes per annum to total almost 20 MTPA in nameplate capacity.

During 2023 a total of around 90 gas wells were completed at the Utrenneye gas field to provide feed gas for Arctic LNG II. 

The European Union reduced imports of pipeline gas from Russia five-fold in 2023, while its purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas cargoes increased by around 38 percent from the Novatek-operated Yamal export plant in Northern Siberia and could rise further in 2024.

June 12 (LNGJ) - Three LNG cargoes are heading for Belgium and the Netherlands this week as the European LNG market price linked to the Dutch Title Transfer Facility benchmark rebounded to above $10 per million British thermal units. The “Al Deebel” with 143,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to deliver a Qatari cargo on June 13 to the Belgian terminal at Zeebrugge and lifted at Ras Laffan in Qatar on May 25, according to shipping data.

   Two other deliveries are headed for the Netherlands. The Q-Flex carrier “Al Karaana” with 206,000 cubic metres of capacity is due to discharge a cargo on June 15 at the Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam and which was loaded in Qatar on May 26. The 173,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Myrina” is scheduled to arrive on June 16 at the Dutch Eemshaven terminal with a US cargo from the Sabine Pass plant lifted on May 31 from the facility in Louisiana.

June 1 (LNGJ) - The Belgian LNG import terminal at Zeebrugge is scheduled to receive two deliveries on June 5, one from Qatar and one from Russia, according io shipping data, The “Vladimir Vize” with 172,600 cubic metres capacity is scheduled to deliver a cargo from the Yamal LNG plant at Sabetta lifted on May 26. The “Al Wakrah” with 135,360 cubic metres capacity will deliver the Qatari cargo loaded at Ras Laffan on May 15.

The European Commission said it was again pursuing plans to end Russian liquefied natural gas supplies being sold in the European Union and has asked the 27 member states not to sign any new supply contracts.

Fluxys Belgium, the national gas grid company and operator of the Zeebrugge LNG import terminal, increased revenues and profits and said its infrastructure was used particularly intensively by customers to support security of supply in Germany and the Netherlands.

Feb 15 (LNGJ) - Belgium and the Netherlands are scheduled to receive a combined six LNG cargoes through February 24. The 172,600 cubic metres capacity vessel “Vladimir Vize” will discharge a cargo on February 17 at the Zeebrugge terminal in Belgium from the Yamal plant in Arctic Russia lifted on February 11, according to shipping data. A second cargo will arrive at Zeebrugge from Qatar on February 19 on the 210,000 Q-Flex vessel “Al Ruwais”. A third cargo for Belgium will be unloaded on February 24 from the Qatari vessel “Al Deebel” with 143, 000 cubic metres of capacity.

   Three LNG shipments are also headed for the Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam. The “Grace Freesia” with 171,000 of capacity was berthing on February 15 with a US cargo from Sabine Pass in Louisiana. The “Vivit Arabia” with 171,000 cubic metres capacity will unload a US cargo on February 18 in Rotterdam from Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana. Then on February 24 the 180,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Adriano Knutsen” will discharge a shipment from Corpus Christi LNG in Texas lifted on February 11, the data showed.

Novatek, the Russian natural gas company and operator of the Yamal LNG export plant and developer of Arctic LNG II currently under threat from Western sanctions imposed because of the Ukraine invasion, has reported operating data for all of 2022 as it continued to supply cargoes to the European Union and dispatched 125 shipments last year.

Sept 16 (LNG) - Two Q-Max LNG cargoes are heading for the UK from Qatar next week and a Qatari shipment is also due in Belgium, according to shipping data. The 260,925 cubic metres capacity vessel “Umm Slal” is scheduled to discharge a cargo on September 21 at the UK South Hook import terminal at Milford Haven.

   A second shipment is due on September 23 at South Hook onboard the 261,045 cubic metres capacity carrier “Al Mafyar”. Another LNG vessel, the 142,970 cubic metres Greek-flagged “Simaisma”, is scheduled to deliver a cargo from Ras Laffan to Zeebrugge in Belgium on September 25.