LNG

June 9 (LNGJ) - Tamboran Resources, an Australian oil and gas exploration and production company, said the government of Australia’s Northern Territory had provided the company with exclusivity over a 170-hectares (420-acres) site for a proposed LNG development using feed gas from the Beetaloo Basin.

   Tamboran said it was proposing the NTLNG project with an initial capacity of 6.6 million tonnes of LNG per annum and with the potential for expansion subject to completion of a concept selection study, successful Beetaloo appraisal drilling and flow testing and other government approvals. “NTLNG represents the first fully integrated onshore LNG development in Northern Australia where upstream, midstream and downstream production and processing are based in the Northern Territory,” Tamboran said in a statement to the Australia Securities Exchange where it is listed on the OTC market.

June 8 (LNGJ) - Eni, the main international natural gas producer in former LNG-exporting nation Libya, has signed an accord to identify opportunities to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions at Libyan oil and gas facilities. Eni said the signing took place as part of the visit to Italy of the Prime Minister of the Government of Libyan National Unity Abulhamid Dabaiba.

   Eni has an 80 percent share of national gas production of 1.6 billon standard cubic feet per day. Production activities are operated through the joint venture company Mellitah Oil and Gas BV, a 50-50 joint venture between Eni and the National Oil Company of Libya.

June 7 (LNGJ) - Peninsula, the company founded to fill a gap in the Gibraltar market for bunkering services and benefitting from the assistance of a refinery across the bay in Algeciras in Spain, said it had started physical supply operations on the north end of the Suez Canal as one of the first foreign suppliers for the waterway that sees over 20,000 vessels passing through every year.

   The company was selected by Egypt back in February 2022 as one of the first international companies to be given a licence to function as a bunker supplier at Egypt’s Mediterranean side ports. Peninsula said the region represented a natural extension of Peninsula’s existing physical supply hubs. “We want to thank all the authorities and especially the Egyptian Government for this opportunity to operate in the Suez Canal,” said John A. Bassadone, Chief Executive of Peninsula. “We have been working closely with them for over a year and a half to ensure that we are in a position to build the local bunker market beyond historical levels. Port Said has huge potential for growth,” Bassadone added.

June 6 (LNG) - Intercontinental Exchange, the leading global provider of energy trading platforms for futures and options, said average daily volumes (ADV) soared in May for natural gas products. Average daily volumes for the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) valuation for LNG increased by 79 percent year-on-year and Open Interest (OI) was up 34 percent compared with last year.

   Open Interest is the term used for the number of contracts that remain open each day and reflects how customers are adding to their positions for a period of time. Total natural gas ADV and OI were both up 10 percent compared with May 2022. “This included record futures OI of 19.7 million lots on May 25,” Atlanta-based ICE said. “North American natural gas OI was up 9 percent, including record futures OI of 17.7M lots on May 25,” ICE added.

June 5 (LNGJ) - JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration Corp. has purchased a micro-stake of 2.58 percent as part of a farm-in agreement with French major TotalEnergies in the Papua New Guinea LNG expansion. JX Nippon is buying the stake for an undisclosed sum in PRL15 licence for the Papua LNG project located onshore and with planned production capacity of 5.6 million tonnes per annum.

   The Papua project aims to produce LNG from the onshore Elk-Antelope gas fields in PNG’s Gulf Province. The natural gas will be transported via pipeline to the existing liquefaction plant at Caution Bay near Port Moresby and operated by ExxonMobil.

June 5 (LNGJ) - Two LNG cargoes are headed for the UK from Texas this week as natural gas prices continue to slump. The carrier “Diamond Gas Victoria” with 174,1000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to berth on June 6 at the Isle of Grain terminal on the Medway River in Kent with a cargo from Freeport LNG in Texas lifted on May 16.

   The “Minerva Kalymnos” with 173,400 cubic metres capacity is due to deliver a cargo on June 8 to the UK South Hook terminal at Milford Haven in Wales. The shipment was lifted on May 26 from the Corpus Christi plant in Texas.

June 2 (LNGJ) - New Fortress Energy Inc., the US developer of power and LNG export and import ventures, has received an export permit from Mexico’s Ministry of Energy for its Altamira “Fast LNG” facility proposed for the Gulf of Mexico.

   Under the permit, NFE said it was now authorised to export up to 7.8 million tonnes of LNG through April 2028, providing ample capacity to support the operations of the planned 1.4 MTPA facility through the permitted period. NFE has already received authorisation from the US Department of Energy to export US-sourced LNG to Mexico and other Free Trade Agreement countries. “This permit is the final piece to the puzzle for launching our first ‘Fast LNG’ in Altamira,” said Wes Edens, NFE Chairman and Chief Executive.

June 2 (LNGJ) - QatarEnergy has entered into a long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement with Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corp. (PetroBangla) to supply about 1.8 million tonnes per annum of cargoes to Bangladesh for 15 years starting in 2026.

   The SPA signing at QatarEnergy’s Headquarters in Doha was attended by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the President and Chief Executive of QatarEnergy, and Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources in Bangladesh. “These supply arrangements reinforce our unwavering dedication to safeguarding the energy security of valued customers like Bangladesh and delivering the reliable energy they require for socio-economic development and prosperity,” said Al-Kaabi who is also Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs.

June 1 (LNGJ) - The Belgian LNG import terminal at Zeebrugge is scheduled to receive two deliveries on June 5, one from Qatar and one from Russia, according io shipping data, The “Vladimir Vize” with 172,600 cubic metres capacity is scheduled to deliver a cargo from the Yamal LNG plant at Sabetta lifted on May 26. The “Al Wakrah” with 135,360 cubic metres capacity will deliver the Qatari cargo loaded at Ras Laffan on May 15.

May 31 (LNGJ) - OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, the company that owns the floating LNG import terminal off the port of Livorno, has received authorization to increase its annual regasification capacity from the current 3.75 billion cubic metres to about 5 Bcm per year.

   “Thanks to the decree issued on May 26 OLT will be able to receive up to 122 small-scale LNG carriers per year to carry out the small-scale LNG supply service,” said the company. Giovanni Giorgi, Chief Executive of OLT Offshore, said a new chapter was beginning almost 10 almost after the start of operations at the terminal “Thanks to the increase in the authorized regasification capacity and in the number of berths for small-scale LNG carriers, and as part of the new small-scale LNG service, the ‘FSRU Toscana’ will be able to increase its contribution to diversification and security of supply,” added Giorgi.

May 31 (LNGJ) - Woodside Energy, the Australian operator of the North West Shelf and Pluto LNG export projects, has completed the award of all major contracts for the decommissioning of subsea infrastructure at the Enfield, Griffin, Stybarrow and Echo Yodel oil and gas fields offshore Western Australia.

   “The upcoming work will follow successful decommissioning activities which have been underway at the Enfield and Balnaves fields since the first quarter of 2022,” said Woodside. “Specialist contractors engaged to undertake activities during the subsea decommissioning campaign include TechnipFMC, Heerema, McDermott, Fugro, DOF and McMahon. A contract for the permanent plug and abandonment of wells in the Stybarrow field has also been awarded to Transocean,” Woodside added.

May 30 (LNGJ) - The Netherlands and the UK are scheduled to receive LNG deliveries over the next couple of days as natural gas benchmark prices continue to tumble. The Dutch Title Transfer Facility price was last at the equivalent of $7.850 per million British thermal units while the UK National Balancing Point price was quoted at $6.835 per MMBtu.

   The “Flex Constellation” with 173,400 cubic metres capacity is due to discharge a shipment on May 31 at the Dutch Eemshaven floating terminal. The cargo was lifted on May 18 from the Corpus Christi export plant in Texas, according to shipping data. The 216,200 cubic metres capacity Qatari Q-Flex vessel “Al Gharrafa” is scheduled to berth with a cargo on June 2 at the UK Dragon terminal at the port of Milford Haven. The volumes were lifted at Ras Laffan on May 14.

May 29 (LNGJ) - China National Offshore Oil Corp., the Chinese major and LNG importer, has moved to improve its relationship with Western and domestic institutional investors and investment bank analysts by holding a series of meetings.

   “The purpose of this activity is to strengthen the communication between the company and institutional investors and to enhance institutional understanding of the company and the industry,” said CNOOC. The company said it hosted Chinese and Western investment banks over the past week at its Shenzhen offices and at project construction sites. The gatherings included about 20 banks and brokerages and several from Europe and the US like UBS Securities and JP Morgan Chase.

May 26 (LNGJ) - The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which could possibly disrupt oil and gas activities and LNG cargo loadings on the Gulf Coast, will bring an average number of ocean storms and hurricanes. NOAA forecasters estimate that there will be 12 to 17 named storms of which five to nine of those could develop into hurricanes and one to four will become major hurricanes during the June-to-November hurricane season.

   “However, the hurricane season in the central Pacific region is expected to be slightly busier this year, compared to a normal season,” said Matthew Rosencrans, the NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster. “A key factor influencing our forecast is the predicted arrival of El Niño this summer, which typically contributes to an increase in tropical cyclone activity across the Pacific Ocean basin,” added Rosencrans.

May 25 (LNGJ) - Four cargoes are scheduled to be delivered to the UK later this week from the US, Qatar and Trinidad. The “GasLog Houston” is due to discharge a cargo at the Dragon terminal at the Port of Milford Haven from the Atlantic LNG plant at Point Fortin in the Caribbean, according to shipping data. A second delivery is scheduled from Qatar for the South Hook facility at Milford Haven onboard the “Aamira”, a Q-Max vessel with 260,910 cubic metres capacity.

   Two more cargoes are headed for the UK Isle of Grain terminal on the Medway River in Kent, both from the US Gulf Coast. The “Castillo De Caldelas” with 176,300 of capacity will have a cargo unloaded on May 27 that was lifted on May 11 from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana. A second shipment is due on May 28 at the National Grid-operated Isle of Grain facility onboard the 173,400 cubic metres capacity vessel “BW Pavilion Aranda” from the Freeport export plant in Texas.

May 24 (LNGJ) - French major TotalEnergies has acquired a 20 percent stake in a Finnish company called Ductor, the developer of technology to process high-nitrogen organic waste to make it suitable for biomethane production. TotalEnergies has also formed a partnership with Ductor to develop and invest in several biomethane production projects, primarily in the US and Europe.

   “Ductor already has a pipeline of 15 to 20 projects, some of which are at an advanced stage. The partners are planning to develop an initial facility in Ohio in the US. Under the terms of this joint venture, TotalEnergies will market the production of the biomethane, and Ductor the production of sustainable biofertilizers,” TotalEnergies explained.

May 23 (LNG) – Germany is planning new interference measures in energy markets. The country’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, who represents the anti-capitalist Greens party in the Social Democrat-led coalition government, plans to introduce more left-wing measures by giving €4 billion ($4.3Bln) of permanent subsidies a year to energy-intensive industries in Germany.

   However, the German Finance Ministry opposes Habeck’s interference in power and commodity markets and the current budget does not allow funds to be redirected to give subsidies to about 80 percent of Germany’s industrial sector. “This price will be calculated on the basis of the average exchange electricity price and then calculated down,” Habeck said. Analysts said that Germany was emerging as a leader of the European Union’s gradual move towards an anti-competitive grants and subsidies economy.

May 22 (LNGJ) - The Netherlands is scheduled to receive two LNG deliveries this week at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam from the US Sabine Pass export plant in Louisiana.

   The “Transgas Force” with 174,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to berth on May 27 with a shipment from the US facility lifted on May 8, according to shipping data. A second delivery from the Louisiana plant is due to arrive on May 29 on board the “Gail Bhuwan”, which has capacity of 176,500 cubic metres.

May 19 (LNGJ) - Chinese LNG imports in April 2023 rose by 10 percent to 4.77 million tonnes compared with 4.34MT in April 2022, according to China’s General Administration of Customs.

   Analysts noted that the increase was from an already low base as the April 2022 deliveries took place during Covid-19 lockdowns in large cities like Shanghai when economic and industrial activity were curbed along with fuel demand. The Chinese LNG deliveries in April 2022 had also been the lowest total for more than two years.

May 19 (LNGJ) - Houston-based TechnipFMC has been awarded a significant contract by European LNG and pipeline natural supplier Equinor to provide riserless light well intervention (RLWI) services on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. “The two-year contract runs from 2024 to 2025, with options to extend for each of the three subsequent years,” said Equinor.

   TechnipFMC said it would provide production enhancement, production data, and pre-plug-and-abandonment services to Equinor using RLWI, which enables well interventions from a monohull vessel, eliminating the need for a riser and the rig required to connect the riser to the subsea well. Instead, remotely operated Well Control Systems are used to facilitate operations on the seabed.

May 18 (LNGJ) - The Netherlands is scheduled to receive two US cargoes over the next few days, one at Groningen’s Eemshaven port and one at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam as gas price dropped to two-year lows. The Dutch Title Transfer Facility benchmark natural gas price was last at the equivalent of $9.975 per million British thermal units.

   The “Maran Gas Pericles” carrier, with 174,000 cubic metres capacity, was scheduled to deliver a shipment on May 19 to Eemshaven from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana and lifted on May 4. The “LNG Rosenrot”, with capacity of 177,000 cubic metres, will berth at the Gate facility on May 21 with a delivery from Freeport LNG in Texas.

May 17 (LNGJ) - Beach Energy, the company involved in the Waitsia gas development and LNG project in the Perth Basin of Western Australia, has also progressed with new gas wells connected to the Otway Gas Plant in the southern Australian state of Victoria.

   The company said it had connected two more gas wells in the offshore Otway Basin to the Otway Gas Plant and was now delivering additional gas into the Australian East Coast domestic gas market. “Four of the six Otway development wells that were drilled as part of the major drilling campaign are now connected,” Beach said. The company added that it was reviewing its preferred approach to connecting the final two wells, which will require either the repair or replacement of a flowline.

May 16 (LNGJ) - Flex LNG, the Norwegian shipping company with a fleet of 13 vessels and several chartered to the largest US exporter Cheniere Energy, reported a fall in first-quarter profits despite a rise in operating revenues. The average time charter equivalent rate declined in the quarter to $80,175 per day compared with $81,699 per day for the fourth quarter of 2022.

   Flex reported vessel operating revenues in the first quarter of $92.47 million compared with $74.57M in the same three months of 2022. Net income dropped to $16.53M from $55.76M in the prior-year quarter. “As we completed the balance sheet optimization program during the first quarter, we had some additional financing costs in our accounts for the first quarter,” explained Øystein M. Kalleklev, Chief Executive of Flex LNG Management AS. “However, we have now put in place new attractive long-term financing for all our 13 ships, boosting our cash balance to $475M at quarter-end, or about $9 per share,” added Kalleklev.

May 15 (LNGJ) - The UK is scheduled to receive two LNG cargoes in the next two days. The “Kool Firn” vessel with 174,000 cubic metres of capacity is due to discharge a US shipment on May 16 at the South Hook terminal in Milford Haven from Sabine Pass in Louisiana.

   A second cargo is expected to arrive in the UK on May 17 at the Isle of Grain terminal on the Medway River in Kent on board the Algerian Med-class vessel “Cheikh Bouamama” with capacity of 74,245 cubic metres. The cargo was lifted on May 11 from Algeria’s Skikda export plant.

May 12 (LNGJ) - Pembina Pipeline Corp., the Canadian operator of a network of natural gas and liquids, gas-gathering and processing facilities as well as owning a stake in the Cedar LNG project in British Columbia, has provided an update on operational impacts of wildfires that flared in the past week in the provinces of BC and Alberta.

   “All Pembina facilities previously shut down due to the wildfires have resumed operations. To date, Pembina is not aware of any material damage to its assets. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our workers and impacted communities,” said Pembina. “Pembina extends its sincere thanks to our staff and emergency response teams, customers, and industry partners, as well as all emergency personnel responding to the wildfires” the company added.

May 11 (LNGJ) - NewMed Energy, the Israeli natural gas company and LNG project developer in the East Mediterranean and currently considering a 50 percent stake sale to UK major BP and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said BP and ADNOC were now carrying out a due diligence review of NewMed and its assets.

   With respect to the expansion plan for the Leviathan gas field offshore Israel, NewMed said there were continuing pre-engineering work and discussions taking place. “There are also various technical, commercial and economic processes for promotion of the Leviathan expansion and the FLNG project, which will supply LNG from Leviathan to the international markets,” NewMed explained.

May 10 (LNGJ) - Germany was receiving its second US LNG delivery of the week after the first was discharged earlier at the terminal in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven by the carrier “Stena Crystal Sky” with 173,000 cubic metres of capacity. That cargo was lifted from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana on April 24, according to shipping data. The US cargo was delivered as the German Trading Hub Europe (THE) wholesale natural gas price was last at the equivalent of $11.800 per million British thermal units.

   A second LNG delivery was scheduled to be unloaded at the Baltic port of Lubmin on May 10 from the 170,000 cubic metres capacity ship, the “Seapeak Bahrain”. The carrier was loaded on April 17 at the Cameron LNG plant in Louisiana.

May 9 (LNGJ) - Kosmos Energy, the developer with UK major BP of the Mauritania and Senegal floating LNG project and natural gas hub, said phase one of the venture called the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project continued to make good progress. “First gas is targeted at the end of 2023 with continued progress across the four major work streams,” said Dallas, Texas-based Kosmos.

   “Hub construction work is complete and activity is focused on progressing the final commissioning for handover to operations around the end of the second quarter of 2023,” Kosmos explained. “The laying of the deepwater section of the pipeline from the field to the FPSO is currently underway. This will be followed by the installation of the infield flowlines and subsea structures. Timely execution of this subsea work scope is the critical path to first gas by the end of the year,” stated Kosmos.

May 9 (LNGJ) - French LNG storage technology firm GTT has obtained approval from French classification society Bureau Veritas for the design of an LNG-powered, dual-fuel Very Large Crude Carrier in China.

   The Bureau Veritas approval in principle is part of a joint development project with Shanghai Waigaiqiao Shipyard, a builder of oil tankers. “The operational flexibility offered by this new (Mark III) 10,000 cubic metres capacity fuel tanks allows ship-owners and charterers to make round trip voyages between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe with a single LNG bunkering operation,” added GTT.

May 8 (LNGJ) – Two LNG cargoes are headed for the UK in the days ahead, one from the US and one from Angola. The “Cobia LNG” with 174,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to berth on May 10 at the UK South Hook terminal in Milford Haven in Wales with a cargo from Freeport LNG in Texas lifted on April 24, according to shipping data.

   The “Sonangol Etosha” with 160,500 metres of capacity is due to berth on May 12 at the Isle of Grain LNG terminal on the Medway River in Kent, southern England, with a shipment loaded on April 27 from the Soyo export plant in Angola.

May 5 (LNGJ) - Hammerfest LNG, the Equinor-operated export facility in northern Norway that supplies European import terminals, has suffered a compressor failure and is expected to be off stream until May 19, according to the Norwegian gas system operator Gassco.

   The facility on Melkøya island produces 4.65 million tonnes per annum of LNG from a single liquefaction Train as well as 340,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas and 730,000 tonnes of condensate. The feed gas comes from the Snøhvit field in the southern part of the Barents Sea. The licence owners of the Snøhvit field are operator Equinor along with Norway’s Petoro, France’s TotalEnergies, Neptune Energy of the UK and Germany’s Wintershall Dea.

May 5 (LNGJ) - Pembina Pipeline Corp., the Canadian shareholder in the Cedar floating LNG joint venture with the Haisla First Nation being developed on the Douglas Channel near Kitimat in British Columbia, reported lower quarterly earnings of C$369 million (US$272M), down from C$481M in the same three months of 2022.

   Pembina noted that during the quarter, the Cedar LNG project received its BC Environmental Assessment Certificate and a positive Decision Statement from the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Cedar LNG, a 3 million tonne per annum facility, is strategically positioned to leverage Canada's abundant natural gas supply and BC’s growing LNG infrastructure to produce industry-leading low-carbon, cost-competitive Canadian LNG for overseas markets,” Pembina said in its earnings statement.

May 4 (LNGJ) - Three cargoes are heading for Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK and are expected to berth in the next couple of days with cargoes from Russia, Algeria and the US respectively, according to shipping data.

   The LNG carrier “Vladimir Vize” with 172,600 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to berth on May 5 at the Zeebrugge terminal in Belgium with a shipment from the Yamal plant in Siberia lifted on April 28. The “Berge Arzew” with 135,000 cubic metres capacity was scheduled to arrive on May 6 at the UK Isle of Grain terminal in Kent with a shipment from Algeria. The 135,425 cubic metres capacity vessel “Seapeak Catalunya” will discharge a cargo on May 5 at the Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam and lifted on April 22 from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana.

May 3 (LNGJ) - Australian LNG operator Santos has signed four memoranda of understanding for the proposed storage of carbon-dioxide emissions from third parties to underpin the initial development of the Bayu-Undan carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Timor Sea, where front-end engineering design work is nearing completion.

   Santos said the accords for CO2 supply to Bayu-Undan CCS were signed by upstream gas and LNG projects offshore the Northern Territory and in Darwin and an energy and industrial group in Korea. “Bayu-Undan CCS has the potential to reduce the emissions and emissions intensity of Australian gas and LNG projects, as well as of other industries in the Northern Territory, by providing safe and permanent storage in depleted gas reservoirs that previously held gas and condensate in place for tens of millions of years,” Santos explained.

May 2 (LNGJ) - Empyrean Energy, the London Stock Exchange-listed oil and gas development company with interests in China, Indonesia and the US, reported progress on a gas sales agreement with a Singaporean buyer for Indonesian gas and the UK company has told the gas field operator and majority stake holder, Conrad Asia Energy, that it would entertain bids for its own 8.5 percent stake.

   “Negotiation of key terms of the Mako gas sales agreement between a Singaporean buyer and the Indonesian upstream regulator, SKKMigas, are expected to be finalised during the second quarter, with Mako being a key strategic gas asset for both countries,” said Empyrean. The Mako gas field is part of the Duyung production sharing contract and is the largest undeveloped gas field in the West Natuna Basin from where gas is exported by pipeline to Singapore.

May 1 (LNGJ) - Santos, the Australian shareholder in Papua New Guinea LNG and its expansion project, has again extended its sell-down exclusivity period with Kumul Petroleum of PNG until the end of August 2023. The binding conditional offer from Santos to Kumul is to acquire a 5 percent interest in PNG LNG for asset value of US$1.4 billion, including a proportionate share of LNG project finance debt of around US$300 million.

   “Kumul has advised Santos it has now extended the period in which the offer will remain open until 31 August 2023. Santos has agreed to deal exclusively with Kumul during this period regarding the sale of equity in PNG LNG,” said Santos. “Kumul has agreed it will work closely with Santos during this extension period in order to assist it in arranging the finalisation of its acquisition financing with third parties. There is also strong support from both the government and the joint venture partners for the transaction proceeding,” added Adelaide-based Santos.

April 28 (LNGJ) - Venture Global LNG has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement with Japan’s largest LNG buyer, JERA Co. Inc. The SPA is for 1 million tonnes per annum of cargoes for a 20-year period from CP2 project, so called because it will be constructed adjacent to the existing Calcasieu Pass export facility.

   The US company said the JERA deal means it has already sold over a third of the 20 MTPA nameplate capacity prosed for the CP2 project. “Venture Global is thrilled to be expanding our partnership with JERA, one of the world's premiere energy providers,” said Chief Executive Michael Sabel.

April 27 (LNGJ) - The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian shipping company Golar LNG to deploy a floating liquefied natural gas production vessel offshore Nigeria. State-run NNPC said that the Golar LNG Chief Executive, Karl Fredrik Staubo, signed the accord in Abuja, the Nigerian federal capital.

   This would be Nigeria’s second FLNG project after one being developed by UTM Offshore. The private Nigerian company has signed a front-end engineering design agreement with Technip Energies and others for the production hull with 1.2 million tonnes per annum of capacity.

April 26 (LNGJ) - Western Australian LNG plants operator Woodside Energy has finalised a 20-year domestic gas sale and purchase agreement with Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers after Perdaman’s positive final investment decision to construct a production plant near Karratha in the state’s Pilbara region.

   “Pipeline gas sold under the GSPA is for use at the plant, which will produce an important fertiliser feedstock in support of both domestic and international agricultural users,” said Woodside. Gas will be supplied from Woodside’s portfolio and from the Scarborough gas project, a source of feed gas for the Pluto LNG expansion.

April 25 (LNGJ) - Vitol Bunkers, the maritime fuel business of global commodities firm Vitol, said it was now working in close alignment with the fuel supply unit of Turkish energy group Petrol Ofisi to offer bunkering services at Turkish ports.

   Vitol Bunkers and Petrol Ofisi will offer re-fuelling for LNG carriers, containerships, oil tankers, car carriers and cruise liners. “With a fleet of 16 barges, Petrol Ofisi is the largest bunker supplier in Turkey, making more than 3,000 bunker deliveries each year,” said Vitol.

April 24 (LNGJ) - Three more cargoes are heading for Belgium and the Netherlands this week with Dutch Title Transfer Facility prices currently at around the equivalent of $13.185 per million British thermal units. The “BW Pavilion Leeara” carrier with 154,800 cubic metres capacity is due to berth on April 25 at the Belgian Zeebrugge terminal with a cargo from Freeport LNG in Texas lifted on April 7.

   The “Maran Gas Asclepius” with 145,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to arrive at Zeebrugge on April 28 with a cargo from Ras Laffan in Qatar. The 175,000 cubic metres capacity vessel “GasLog Gibraltar” is scheduled to discharge a shipment on April 29 at the Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam. The cargo was lifted from Sabine Pass in Louisiana on April 13.

April 21 (LNGJ) - Woodside Energy, the operator of the Northwest Shelf and Pluto LNG export plants in Western Australia, reported an 81 percent surge in first-quarter revenues to US$4.33 billion versus US$3.39Bln in the same three months of 2022. However, the income fell 16 percent from US$5.16Bln in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the Perth-based company’s quarterly activities report.

   Woodside reported that the Scarborough gas field and the Pluto LNG Train II projects were now 30 percent complete with the export trunkline 86 percent finished and first concrete poured for the second Pluto Train. The drilling programme for the Sangomar oil project offshore Senegal progressed with 10 of 23 wells complete. “The Sangomar floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) topsides and pre-commissioning works continued in Singapore,” it added.

April 20 (LNGJ) - Gasunie, the Dutch utility and LNG terminals stakeholder, has decided to convert a natural gas pipeline of 60 kilometres in length from Emmen to Ommen in the northeast of the Netherlands to make it suitable for the transport of only regional biogas made from waste. Gasunie said the first flows of biogas are expected through the converted pipeline by August 2025 and would remove congestion in parts of the gas pipeline system in the Netherlands.

   “The increasing amount of ‘green gas’ is causing congestion in the regional pipelines on which the various regional producers sell their ‘green gas’. With the decision to convert the natural gas pipeline from Emmen to Ommen into a transport pipeline for ‘green gas’, one central discharge pipeline has been created for the sale of ‘green gas’ by producers in this region,” said Gasunie.

April 19 (LNGJ) - The UK’s North Sea Transition Authority has offered a 10-year licence to a company called dCarbonX to store natural gas in the depleted Bains Gas Field in the East Irish Sea. “Redeveloping Bains for gas storage could deliver a storage capacity equivalent to three to four days' supply for the UK with injection potentially starting in 2028,” said the Authority.

   The Bains gas field is in UK Block 110 and located about 17 miles (27km) west of Blackpool in northwest England. UK utility Centrica had developed it as a subsea tieback to the South Morecambe Field. The gas was transported through a subsea pipeline to the gas terminal at Barrow-in-Furness but production ceased in 2017.

April 18 (LNGJ) - Three cargoes are heading for the UK port of Milford and the two terminals there, South Hook and the Dragon facility. The “GasLog Seattle” with 155,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to deliver a cargo from the Arzew plant in Algeria on April 19 to the Dragon terminal at the Welsh port.

   A second shipment is due on April 21 from Lake Charles in the US on the 162,000 cubic metres capacity tanker “Maria Energy” and will be discharged at South Hook. The third delivery is on April 24 to the South Hook facility on the carrier “Hellas Athina” with 174,100 cubic metres of capacity. The cargo was lifted on April 7 from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana.

April 17 (LNGJ) - Belgium and the Netherlands are scheduled to receive a combined seven cargoes in the coming week. They include one delivered to Zeebrugge on April 19 from Russia onboard the 172,600 cubic metres capacity carrier “Vladimir Vize”. The cargo was lifted from the Sabetta terminal in Siberia on April 12. A second shipment is headed for Zeebrugge from Angola. The carrier “Cubal” with 154,950 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to berth on April 22.

   The Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam will receive a US cargo on April 18 discharged from the 176,300 cubic metres capacity “Rioja Knutsen” and lifted on April 4 from Sabine Pass in Louisiana. The “Gaslog Glasgow” with 174,000 cubic metres capacity will deliver another Sabine Pass cargo to the Netherlands on April 19 when it berths at the new Dutch facility at Eemshaven.

April 14 (LNGJ) - Woodside Energy, the operator of two LNG export plants in Western Australia, has announced the start-up of the BP-operated Mad Dog Phase II project costing $9 billion from the Argos offshore facility in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico. Woodside holds a 23.9 percent non-operated interest in Mad Dog through its acquisition of BHP Petroleum.

   Woodside Chief Executive Meg O’Neill said the production start-up from Mad Dog Phase II demonstrated the ongoing value being delivered by Woodside’s merger with BHP’s petroleum business in 2022. “Mad Dog is one of several low cost producing assets for Woodside in the region with significant expansion potential and in close proximity to infrastructure and attractive markets,” added O’Neill.

April 13 (LNGJ) - Two US LNG cargoes are heading for Germany next week. The “LNG Rosenrot” with 177,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to deliver a cargo on April 20 from Freeport export plant in Texas to the floating LNG facility at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, according to shipping data

   The “Minerva Amorgos” with 174,000 metres capacity is also due to deliver a cargo on April 20 from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana to the German Baltic Sea terminal at Lubmin.

April 13 (LNGJ) - Two LNG cargoes are headed for the UK next week. The 216,000 cubic metres capacity Qatari Q-Flex carrier “Al Gashamiya” is scheduled to deliver a cargo on April 16 to the South Hook import terminal at the Port of Milford Haven.

   Another shipment is due to arrive on April 19 onboard the “GasLog Seattle” with 155,000 cubic metres of capacity. The vessel will discharge an Algerian cargo at the Dragon terminal at the Welsh port. The shipment was lifted on April 5 from the Arzew plant in Algeria.

April 12 (LNGJ) - The UK LNG import terminal at the Isle of Grain on the Medway River in Kent is scheduled to receive a US LNG delivery later on April 12 on board the “BW Pavilion Aranda” with capacity of 173,400 cubic metres. The cargo was lifted on March 30 from the Cameron plant in Louisiana.