LNG

Indian liquefied natural gas imports rose 2.6 percent for the fiscal year to almost 20 million tonnes, though dropped for the month of March with cargoes arriving at a slower pace from main suppliers in Qatar, West Africa and Australia.

The shipments were received at India’s four operating import terminals at Dahej, Hazira and Dabhol near the West Coast port of Mumbai and at the new East Coast terminal at Kamarajar, 25 kilometres north of Chennai Port in Tamil Nadu.

The imports dropped in March by 14.4 percent to 1.63 million tonnes (2.20 billion cubic metres) from 1.90MT (2.47 Bcm) in March 2018.

The Asian nation’s shipments were also down in February 2019 and had amounted to 1.41MT compared with 1.56MT in February 2018.

However, the volumes for the full fiscal year to date at the end of March rose 2.6 percent to 19.98MT (27.01 Bcm) from 19.47MT in the previous fiscal year.

LNG was procured during the month by Petronet LNG, Gas Authority of India, Gujarat State Petroleum Corp., Reliance Industries, Bharat Petroleum Corp., Torrent Power and Indian Oil Corp., according to data from the Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Domestic natural gas output during March 2019 rose by 1.2 percent to 2.81 Bcm compared with 2.78 Bcm in the same month the previous year.

The cumulative production of natural gas for the 12 months of the fiscal year was up 0.7 percent to 32.87 Bcm compared with 32.64 Bcm in the previous fiscal year.

The Ministry said that LNG imports were regasified to make up 52 percent of the nation’s natural gas consumption during March as overall monthly gas usage totalled 4.57 Bcm.

The major natural gas consuming sectors for the combined LNG and domestic gas output were the fertilizer industry (29 percent), gas-fired power (21 percent), city-gas distribution (17 percent), refineries (13 percent) and petrochemicals (7 percent).

Among the LNG cargoes that were received at the Dahej terminal in March, there was one carried by the 172,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Beidou Star”. The vessel unloaded a shipment on March 19 from the Gorgon plant on Barrow Island in Western Australia.

African cargoes unloaded at Dahej included one carried on the 160,500 cubic metres capacity vessel “Sonangol Sambizanga” from Angola in southwest Africa.

Among the Qatari cargoes, the 210,100 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Al Ghariya” unloaded a shipment at Dahej on March 23 from Ras Laffan in Qatar.

Nov 13 (LNGJ) - The 137,230 cubic metres capacity carrier “LNG Rivers” is unloading a cargo on November 13 at the Huelva terminal in southwest Spain from the Bonny Island plant in Nigeria, according to shipping data. The 210,100 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Umm Al Amad” will deliver a shipment on November 14 to the Pakistani Port Qasim import facilities, located east of Karachi, from the Ras Laffan plant in Qatar. The 155,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Gaslog Salem” will deliver a Qatargas cargo on November 18 to the Zeebrugge terminal in Belgium. The 138,088 cubic metres capacity vessel “Berge Arzew” will unload a shipment on November 18 at the Aliaga facility in Turkey from the Sonatrach-operated plant in Algeria.

   The 155,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Gaslog Savannah” will deliver a cargo on November 20 to the Japanese Hachinohe terminal, owned by Nippon Oil, from the Woodside Petroleum export facilities at Dampier in Western Australia. The 160,400 cubic metres capacity carrier “Cubal” will deliver a shipment on November 28 to the Indian Dahej terminal, owned by Petronet, from the Angolan plant in southwest Africa. The 266,000 cubic metres capacity carrier Aamira will deliver a Qatargas cargo to the South Korean Incheon terminal on December 3.

Nov 6 (LNGJ) - The 210,100 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Al Sheehaniya” was unloading a cargo on November 6 at the Indian Hazira terminal near Mumbai from Ras Laffan in Qatar, according to shipping data. The 217,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Al Kharsaah” will unload a Qatargas shipment on November 11 at the Dahej terminal in India, operated by Petronet. The 172,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Boris Vilkitsky” will deliver a cargo on November 16 to the Montoir-de-Bretagne terminal in Western France from the Yamal plant in Russia. The 155,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “British Emerald” will unload a shipment on December 1 at the Map Ta Phut terminal in Thailand from Atlantic LNG in Trinidad. The 155,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Gaslog Santiago” has just departed from Point Fortin in Trinidad and is scheduled to deliver a shipment to an as yet unnamed Chinese terminal on December 3.

Aug 27 (LNGJ) - French energy major Total has signed an agreement to sell 500,000 tonnes per annum of LNG to Royal Dutch Shell over five years on a delivered basis to supply the markets of India and neighbouring countries. “The deliveries will be sourced from Total’s global LNG portfolio and are expected to begin in 2019,” said the French company. The deal is in addition to Total signing an accord with Shell for the sale of its 26 percent minority equity stake in the Hazira import terminal on the West Coast of India, near Mumbai. “This deal enables Total to capture value through an asset disposal, while the LNG sales contract allows us to maintain the balance of our LNG portfolio,” said Philippe Sauquet, Total’s President of Gas, Renewables and Power. “We remain committed to supply the Indian subcontinent, which is a key market experiencing strong growth in LNG demand.”

Indian LNG imports soared last month by almost 39 percent as shipment came from nations such as Qatar, Australia, the US and Angola as India prepared to bring a fifth regasification terminal on line on the West Coast as it awaits its first facility on the East Coast.

June 20 (LNGJ) - The 147,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Dapeng Moon” will unload a shipment on June 22 at the Chinese Shenzhen Diefu terminal in southern Guangdong province from the Dampier export facility of Woodside Petroleum in Western Australia, according to shipping data. The 210,100 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Al Ruwais” will deliver a cargo on June 26 to the Indian Hazira terminal, operated by Shell India, from the Ras Laffan plant in Qatar. The 176,300 cubic metres capacity vessel “Rioja Knutsen” will deliver a Nigerian shipment on June 29 to the Dahej terminal in India, owned by Petronet. The 160,000 cubic metres capacity “Asia Endeavour” will unload a cargo on July 4 at the South Korean Boryeong terminal, owned by SK and GS Energy, from the Chevron-operated Wheatstone export plant in Western Australia. The 170,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Sonangol Sambizanga” will deliver a shipment on July 9 to the Mina Al Ahmadi import facility in Kuwait from Angola in southwest Africa. The 156,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Wilforce” will unload a shipment on July 18 at the Yung-An import terminal in Taiwan from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana, owned by Cheniere Energy.

May 21 (LNGJ) - The 261,700 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Al Ghuwairiya” was unloading a cargo on May 21 at the Chinese Dalian import terminal, operated by PetroChina in the northeast Liaoning Province, from the Ras Laffan plant in Qatar. The 152,300 cubic metres capacity vessel “Seri Bagawan”, operated by MISC, will deliver a cargo on June 3 to the Beihai terminal, owned by Sinopec, from Gladstone in Queensland, eastern Australia. The 145,700 cubic metres capacity vessel “LNG Benue” will deliver cargo on June 4 to the Indian Hazira import terminal, owned by Shell India, from the Nigerian export plant on Bonny Island. The 210,100 cubic metres capacity carrier “Al Ghariya” is scheduled to deliver a Qatargas cargo on June 5 to the Chinese Shanwei terminal in southern Guangdong province.

May 17 (LNGJ) - The 148,300 cubic metres capacity vessel “LNG Ondo” will deliver a shipment on May 19 to the Pakistani Port Qasim import facilities east of Karachi from the Nigerian export plant on Bonny Island, according to shipping data. The 210,000 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Al Khattiya” will deliver a cargo on May 22 to Thailand’s Map Ta Phut import terminal from Ras Laffan in Qatar. The 160,400 cubic metres capacity carrier “Cubal” will unload a cargo on May 24 at the Indian Hazira terminal, owned by Shell India, from the Angola export plant at Soyo in southwest Africa. The 173,400 cubic metres capacity vessel “Ribera del Duero Knutsen” will deliver a shipment on May 28 to the Chinese terminal at Ningbo from the US Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana, owned by Cheniere Energy. The 216,000 cubic metres capacity Q-Flex carrier “Al Thumama” will unload a shipment from Qatargas on June 3 at the South Korean Pyeongtaek terminal.

April 3 (LNGJ) - The 173,400 cubic metres capacity carrier “Ribera del Duero Knutsen” has docked at the Chilean import terminal at Mejillones port with a cargo from the US Sabine Pass export facility in Louisiana, owned by Cheniere Energy. The 152,300 cubic metres capacity carrier “Seri Bakti”, operated by Malaysia International Shipping Corp., has docked at the Chinese Ningbo import terminal in Zhoushan port with a shipment from the Gladstone LNG plant on Curtis island in Queensland, Australia. The “LNG Niger River” was unloading a shipment on April 3 at the Hazira import terminal, operated by Shell India, from the Nigeria export plant on Bonny Island. The 177,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “Energy Horizon” has docked at the Japanese Sodegaura import terminal with a cargo from the Dampier facility in Western Australia for Pluto LNG, operated by Woodside Petroleum.

Royal Dutch Shell through its subsidiary Shell India plans to start liquefied natural gas truck-loading at its Hazira LNG import terminal located north of Mumbai to widen clean fuel distribution in the domestic market.