Adriatic LNG Receives Debut US Cargo
The first LNG cargo from the US was unloaded at the Adriatic LNG terminal, offshore northeast Italy near Venice.
The cargo left Sabine Pass, Louisiana, on August 22 – shortly before the terminal stopped activities for a week or two as Hurricane Harvey swept in – and arrived at Adriatic LNG after a 20-day voyage, the terminal operator said September 12. It did not name the recipient of the cargo or the ship that delivered it, but said the unloading -- believed to have begun September 11 - was completed September 12.
The vessel is believed to have been Castillo de Santisteban, which is reported by ship tracking sources to have departed Adriatic LNG again September 12 and is due to arrive back in the Houston area – not far from Sabine Pass – on September 27. The ship has capacity to transport 173,600 m3 LNG, and belongs to Spanish shipowner Elcano. It has more commonly been used to ship Shell cargoes from Peru LNG to the Americas and Europe.
To date, more than 175 cargoes have been exported from Cheniere's Sabine Pass plant to 25 countries around the world mainly outside Europe, but also including Portugal, Spain, Malta, UK, Poland, Netherlands and Lithuania.
Most of Adriatic LNG's cargoes are delivered by Qatar's RasGas to offtaker Edison, but some have been delivered there to Edison and others also from Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Norway and Trinidad.
Mark Smedley