In this issue

 

Eagle LNG said it had started the construction of its Florida liquefaction plant in the port city of Jacksonville to supply the marine fuels market and other sectors from 2017.
Our Asia-Pacific editor Tokyo Gas, the third-largest Japanese buyer of liquefied natural gas, consolidated its natural gas sales last month and achieved initial success in May in signing up new…
The US$54 billion Gorgon LNG project on Barrow Island offshore Western Australia is beginning its re-start process after being shut by a technical fault just after shipping its first cargo…
Japan said the price of spot liquefied natural gas cargoes imported into the country in April amounted to $5.80 per million British thermal units, down $2.10 per MMBtu compared with…
Our Middle East editor The Kingdom of Jordan and the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum have signed an expansion of the Middle East region's first liquefied natural gas-sharing agreement between floating…
Norwegian shipping company Awilco LNG said that an oversupply of shipping in the carrier market, limited growth in trade and a reduced ton-mile ratio have combined to keep the LNG…
Our North America editor in New York Jovo Group, the Chinese energy distribution company and a liquefied natural gas import terminal owner in the southeast Guangdong province, has signed a…
Our Asia-Pacific editor Reliance Industries, the Indian conglomerate with domestic natural gas and US shale-gas interests as well as other businesses, said full-year revenue from the oil and natural gas…
The US Department of Energy’s has published data on liquefied natural gas exports for the first quarter of 2016, showing prices of LNG sold from the Cheniere Energy plant at…
Our North America editor in New York Driftwood LNG, a US export development company owned by former Cheniere Energy Chief Executive Chafir Souki and ex-BG Group LNG chief Martin Houston,…
Cheniere Energy, the first liquefied natural gas exporter from the US Gulf Coast after its Sabine Pass liquefaction plant in Louisiana began operations in February, saw its shares surge more…
Our North America editor in New York The US Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia held a ceremonial keel-laying for a second product tanker in a four-vessel LNG-Ready order for American Petroleum…
Liquefaction plant builders around the world feel oil price pressures Our Asia-Pacific editor Japanese liquefied natural gas LNG engineers JGC Corp and Chiyoda Corp have been hurt by the global…
Our Asia-Pacific editor The Japanese government has developed a new strategy for liquefied natural gas in response to the changes in the market, including the start of exports from the…

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.