Gladstone Port Exports 1.56mn mt LNG in September

Exports of LNG from Queensland’s Gladstone Port topped 1.5mn metric tons (mt) for the second time in September, according to the latest data published by Gladstone Port Corporation.

Exports were 1.56mn mt in September compared with 1.51mn mt in August. China, Japan and South Korea were the top three destinations. Exports to China during September were 660,541 mt compared with 667,957 mt in August. Total shipment to Japan jumped sharply to 336,694 mt compared with 132,447 mt in August. Exports to South Korea too saw a rise from 182,963 mt in August to 310,782 mt in September.

Other significant export destinations were Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and Mexico.

Last fiscal year (July 1 2015-June 30 2016) was a very good year in terms of LNG exports. Gladstone Port Corporation on October 4 said Gladstone Port exported 12.2mn mt of LNG during the fiscal year 2015-2016 that ended on June 30, 2016 compared with 1.61mn mt during the last fiscal year. It expects the trend to continue in the current fiscal year.

With Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) shipping its first cargo in January this year, the three LNG projects on Curtis Island in Queensland, Australia are now operational. In November, Bechtel, which has constructed all the three plants, officially handed over operational control of the Queensland Curtis LNG plant to QGC, and in October the Santos GLNG project produced its first cargo. GLNG’s second train began production in May.

Shardul Sharma