Vessels

Pockets of spot LNG demand continue emerging across Asia, particularly among price-sensitive natural gas buyers, but the market remains loose heading into summer as larger buyers across the region and in Europe remain on the sidelines.  Thailand’s PTT LNG Co. Ltd. bought nine summer cargoes for about $13/MMBtu in a tender that closed last week,…

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels have been waiting longer to pass through the Panama Canal in recent weeks, tightening an already stretched shipping market and creating logistical issues for U.S. LNG exports at a time when global gas prices are moving higher.  “There is no doubt that this has created some headaches in LNG trade,”…

A roundup of news and commentary from NGI’s LNG Insight The Golar Seal departed Cameron LNG on Wednesday, transiting the Calcasieu Ship Channel with a draft of 35.8 feet, according to Bloomberg ship tracking data. The ship’s draft was below the 36-foot restrictions in place from a sunken rock barge in the CSC. The vessel…

A roundup of news and commentary from NGI’s LNG Insight Vessels with up to a 36-foot draft now allowed to transit Calcasieu Ship Channel (CSC) during day, allowing ballast LNG vessels to transit waterway. Fully loaded LNG vessels, with drafts of about 40 feet, unlikely to meet restrictions, but possibility remains for partially loaded ships…

The first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Angola LNG plant is on its way to Brazil on the SS Sonangol Sambizanga, one of seven 160,000-cubic meter LNG vessels contracted to the Angola LNG project, one of the largest energy projects on the African continent. Angola LNG is a partnership of Sonangol, Chevron Corp., BP plc, ENI and Total that will gather and process gas to produce and deliver LNG and natural gas liquids (NGL). “First gas at Angola LNG is an important milestone in support of our strategic plan to grow our production,” said George Kirkland, Chevron vice chairman. The $10 billion project will collect and transport gas from offshore Angola to an onshore liquefaction plant on the coast near the Congo River. The project has the capacity to produce 5.2 million metric tons per year of LNG, 63,000 b/d of NGL for export and 125 MMcf/d of natural gas for domestic consumption, Chevron said. “The project represents the first LNG project in Angola, and it is expected to contribute to the development of Angola’s natural gas industry,” said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Co. Five and a half years ago it was expected that some supply from Angola LNG would land in the United States (see Daily GPI, Dec. 11, 2007).

ConocoPhillips is on track for a “new era of development” in the United States, fueled by a growing list of discoveries in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and a solid portfolio in some onshore unconventional plays, the exploration and production (E&P) chief said Thursday.

Enterprise Products Partners LP cited robust growth in Eagle Ford Shale liquids-rich gas production in South Texas as the rationale behind its plans to add yet more fractionation capacity at the Mont Belvieu, TX, natural gas liquids (NGL) complex.

The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice has approved Baker Hughes Inc.’s (BHI) plan to sell Superior Energy Services two stimulation vessels (the HR Hughes and the Blue Ray) and some other assets used to perform sand control services in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (see Daily GPI, July 7). The asset sale, expected to close by the end of August, is being conducted in connection with BHI’s acquisition of BJ Services Co. (see Daily GPI, April 29). Once the Superior sale is closed BHI would be free to fully integrate BJ Services into its operations.

Hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil were befouling the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) last week far faster than 2,000 emergency responders and hundreds of vessels could contain the mess created by the apparent blowout of a deepwater well just 42 miles southeast of Venice, LA.