Darwin LNG Shipment Delayed
The first shipment of liquefied natural gas from Darwin has hit a snag, with the tanker delayed in port for several days. The Kotowaka Maru arrived at ConocoPhillip's Wickham Point plant in Darwin early last Wednesday to load the first cargo from Australia's second LNG export project. The shipment was due to leave Darwin within two days, but the 125,000 cubic meter carrier still remained in the port last night. About 3 million tons of LNG, drawn from the Bayu Undan gas fields in the Timor Sea, have been contracted each year to Tokyo Electric and Tokyo Gas for 17 years. LNG gas carriers are due to arrive in Darwin every seven to 10 days, with each load initially expected to take 10-12 hours. (Source: The Australian)
Shipbuilders Focus on High-Value Vessels
South Korean shipbuilders are profiting more than ever from selling high-value units such as offshore plants and liquid gas carriers, according to a Korea Times report. Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering has already won a record-high $7 billion in building orders this year. Such high performance was largely affected by the sales of four offshore oilrig units, which amounted to $1.9 billion in total. The company also has recorded steady sales of LNG carriers, capped with a $430-million order for a pair of LNG carriers from a Norwegian company last month. The LNG ship has become a lucrative business for shipbuilders, as a 145,000-cubic-meter carrier is now being sold for around $270 million, according to the report.
New LNG Vessel to Serve Tractebel's Atlantic Basin Customers
Tractebel LNG North America LLC, operator of the United States' first LNG import terminal in Everett, Massachusetts, and Bergesen, based in Oslo, Norway, announced the launch of Berge Everett, a new 138,000 cubic meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier that will begin making deliveries for Tractebel under an exclusive, long-term charter. Tractebel LNG North America ("TLNGNA") will use the vessel to transport LNG primarily from Trinidad to the company's Everett LNG receiving terminal, to the EcoElectrica facility in Puerto Rico, and to other LNG facilities in the Atlantic Basin. Constructed at the Daewoo Shipbuilding Yard in South Korea, the Berge Everett is 100% owned by Bergesen.
