In this issue

 

The American Bureau of Shipping has joined forces with Greece’s Arista Shipping, two companies from Finland and French storage tank technology firm GTT in a joint development project for a…
Our Europe editor Enagas, the Spanish transmission network and liquefied natural gas terminal operator, is advancing in the development of new services, including bunkering plans for shipping to promote the…
LNG output is now Australia’s largest component of oil & gas production Our Asia-Pacific editor The Australian state of Queensland where three liquefied natural gas plants are operating and which…
Our North America editor in New York The world’s leading liquefied natural gas engineering company Bechtel Inc., a privately-held corporation whose headquarters are in San Francisco, has named Brendan Bechtel…
Bechtel Inc., the world’s leading builder of liquefaction plants, said Houston-based Cheniere Energy was now at the forefront of North American LNG, after it handed over control of the first…
Our Europe editor French energy and LNG engineering company Technip said it was awarded a contract to develop phase two of the Bahr Essalam development in the Mediterranean Sea to…
Flex LNG, the Norwegian-listed company whose main assets are the two LNG carriers with a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres it is having built at Samsung Heavy Industries in South…
Lloyd’s Register, the UK maritime classification society, said it was proceeding with the second phase of a liquefied natural gas bunkering initiative for the Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea.
Our Europe editor Hoegh LNG, the Norwegian carrier fleet owner and developer of Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs) as import facilities, has returned to profit after a strategy overhaul…
France’s EDF Trading signed an LNG agreement with Jera Co. Inc of Japan, the joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power Co and Chubu Electric, to buy cargoes from the Japanese…
Our Asia-Pacific editor Energy World Corp., aiming to complete the first LNG import terminal in the Philippines by December 2016, has finalized the financing for the hub facility located at…
Our North America editor in New York Pacific NorthWest LNG, the project led by Malaysia’s Petronas in the Canadian province of British Columbia, said it wanted Asian nations to have…
MEO Australia, the independent oil and gas exploration and production company with interests in Cuba and an LNG project on hold in the Timor Sea, said it received encouraging results…
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark said she was continuing to build momentum for the province’s planned liquefied natural gas industry with the renewal of an agreement with a Japanese state…

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.