Africa’s first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel, the Coral-Sul, has arrived in Mozambique and is on track to start up one of only a few liquefaction projects slated to start service worldwide in 2022. 

A rise in violence last year from militants with ties to the Islamic State group and pandemic-related issues has brought the country’s other two projects, TotalEnergies SE’s Mozambique LNG and ExxonMobil’s Rovuma LNG, to a standstill. The two majors have yet to confirm a date for when their projects may move forward, but TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne reportedly said during a trip to the country Monday that the company is aiming to restart work on Mozambique LNG this year.

TotalEnergie’s decision to suspend activity in April 2021 “signals indefinite...