LNG

Malaysian shipping group MISC has accepted a letter of award from Petronas for the charter of five additional LNG carriers, committing to a newbuilding programme at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua, with construction due to begin in 2027 and deliveries targeted for 2030.

Singapore-based Seatrium has secured an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) contract from Excelerate Energy to convert an LNG carrier into a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), with delivery targeted for 2028.

Samsung Heavy Industries has secured an order worth 672.20 billion South Korean Won (US$504m) to two LNG carriers, which brings the company’s total order backlog to 46 commercial vessels and orders worth over US$8 billion this year.

Shell – and its partners PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and KOGAS – have taken a final investment decision (FID) on the second phase of LNG Canada, approving a C$33 billion expansion that will double the British Columbia export terminal’s production capacity to 28 mtpa.

The project will add two liquefaction trains at the Kitimat facility, raising total capacity from 14 mtpa. Commercial operations are expected to begin in the early 2030s, Shell announced today.

Tecnimont USA has signed a FrontEnd Engineering Design (FEED) contract with Argent LNG for the developer’s 25 mtpa export facility at Port Fourchon, Louisiana. First cargo is targeted for 2030.

Jonathan Bass, chairman and CEO of Argent LNG, said the FEED award moves the project “from vision to execution,” adding that Tecnimont’s engineering depth and modular expertise would help deliver a “bankable, buildable” scheme for international buyers.

China’s Big Four state oil and gas companies have evolved from passive importers to active LNG traders, reselling their long-term contracted supply at a premium. As colder winter weather approaches and fears of supply shortages build in Europe, Chinese-contracted US LNG cargoes are being diverted there, having been sold to supply-squeezed Asian markets throughout the summer; writes our Markets Editor Anja Karl. 

Digitalisation is accelerating the global LNG expansion while helping operators keep costs in check as developers in North America are seeking to get new projects or bolt-on expansions over the finishing line. In this Q&A, Christina Andersen, Honeywell Technologies’ President, Gas & LNG, Process Technology is telling LNG Journal how digital and modular solutions help improve projects’ bankability, reduce technical complexity and accelerate project schedules. 

P&I cover provider, Steamship Mutual has warned of the increased operational, commercial and contractual risks when extended congestion or standby conditions disrupt normal boil-off gas (BOG) management on board an LNGC. 

US engineering company Black & Veatch (B&V) has introduced an advanced liquefaction architecture (ALA), a performance platform that improves LNG production by up to 15%. 

ALA increases output within compact floating and onshore footprints utilising the company’s expertise in advanced engineering, facility-level energy integration and front-end engineering design (FEED), B&V claimed. 

Edison: Italian utility Edison has confirmed that QatarEnergy will not deliver LNG cargoes to its Adriatic regasification terminal until the beginning of December 2026. The Qatari state company extended force majeure, saying it would not be able to deliver another six cargoes.