In this issue

 

Our Europe editor Fluxys Belgium, the owner of the Zeebrugge liquefied natural gas import terminal, said it may build a third jetty for small-scale LNG carriers as earnings showed a…
Elengy, the operator of three French LNG import terminals, said it had improved its LNG truck-loading contract, allowing more flexibility and access to its loading stations at the Atlantic coast…
Our North America editor in New York The provincial government of the Canadian Province of British Columbia said it was not prepared to offer better tax deals just to get…
The mitigation measures attached to the Pacific NorthWest LNG project in British Columbia by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency cover 29 pages and include for the first time a cap…
French energy and utility company Engie said it was selected by Beijing Gas Group after a tender process to supply the Chinese capital for a second year with its additional…
Our Asia-Pacific editor The Chinese shipbuilder, Wison Offshore and Marine, has completed performance testing in the port of Nantong on a floating natural gas liquefaction hull ordered by Belgian shipping…
Our Europe editor Arista Shipping of Greece and its partners in a joint venture to develop more liquefied natural gas-powered vessels said the Greek-based project would also work with Royal…
Our Europe editor The Swedish Sirius shipping line, owned by the Backman family, has ordered two vessels from the Dingheng Shipyard in China which will be ready to have liquefied…
RasGas, one of the world’s leading exporters of liquefied natural gas from its terminal at Ras Laffan in Qatar, has been awarded a five-star safety rating by one of the…
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has opened its first public natural gas station in the northwest state of Oregon as part of its continued build-out of a countrywide network offering LNG…
Our North America editor in New York The US Driftwood liquefied natural gas project of former Cheniere Energy Chief Executive Charif Souki has hired another Cheniere executive to take his…
A group of a dozen United States senators from the Democratic Party in the Northeast and the Midwest has sent a letter to US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz requesting a…
Our North America editor in New York Chart Industries, the supplier of liquefaction, storage and fueling equipment to the LNG industry, said the United States Patent and Trademark Office had…
Gas-fired power is preferred for now while Hokkaido terminal increases its storage Our Asia-Pacific editor Japanese liquefied natural gas shipments for August unexpectedly surged more than 9 percent after falling…

News Nudges

Sabah to invest in Petronas’ FLNG project

Sabah is to sign an agreement with PETRONAS that would see the state acquire a 40% stake in an FLNG project. Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, said the deal was made possible through a co-operation agreement previously signed with the Malaysian energy giant to enable the state government to participate more actively in Sabah's oil and gas industry. “We have successfully reached an agreement with PETRONAS, and in the next few months, we will sign an agreement under which Sabah will receive a 40% stake in the state's floating LNG project. “In Sandakan, PETRONAS has secured an oil and gas field, and Sabah will receive a 20% stake in the project there,” he said, adding that the state and its people stood to benefit significantly from the strong relationship between the state and federal governments. He claimed that Sabah continued to attract growing investor interest, due to the state government's investor-friendly policies.


MISC wins LNG contract - orders vessel

Malaysia’s PETRONAS’ shipping arm, MISC has secured a 10-year contract from Malaysia LNG (MLNG) to provide long-term LNG shipping services. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, MISC said it had received a letter of award from MLNG for the vessel's long-term timecharter, with the operation expected to start in 2028. As a result, MISC has signed a contract with China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding to build a small-scale 18,000 cu m LNGC. "The project is strategically important as it supports PETRONAS' continued LNG supply to Sendai City, Japan, reinforcing a long-standing partnership of nearly 30 years and ensuring the reliable delivery of LNG to meet the customer's long-term energy needs,” MISC said in the filing.


Golar closes $600 mill credit facility

Golar LNG Limited has closed a new $600 mill senior secured revolving credit facility (RCF). The RCF further strengthens Golar’s balance sheet flexibility and facilitates further FLNG growth, the company claimed. It was secured by Golar’s investment in the MKII FLNG currently being converted in China to serve a 20-year contract with Argentina’s Southern Energy. The facility received strong backing from a consortium of banks including ABN AMRO, Citibank, Danske Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, Golar said.


Silversteam ALS success

London-based engineering design company, Silverstream has installed more than 160 air lubrication systems (ALS) worldwide, which have found favour on LNGCs, plus other vessel types. The latest fitting involve two Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs), which brought the total up to 164 vessels fitted with the technology. This growth in the number of installations reflects the shipping industry’s commitment to air lubrication, as an independently verified technology that delivers immediate fuel and emissions reductions, Silverstream claimed. Reflecting on this significant milestone for the company, Noah Silberschmidt, Founder and CEO, said: “Reaching more than 160 vessels on the water is a significant achievement and I am grateful to our customers, colleagues and partners who have played a huge role in this success. “Shipowners increasingly look for solutions that can provide a hedge against rising fuel costs by reducing fuel consumption and emissions immediately. The growth of our installed fleet shows that air lubrication is a trusted and proven part of future-proofing strategies,” he said.