Gas Natural News

Finland-based marine equipment and technology firm Wärtsilä has sold Wärtsilä Tank Control Systems business to Svanehøj, a Danish gas pump specialist involved in the design and manufacture of specialized deep well pump solutions within the areas of gas pumps, fuel pumps, products and chemicals, and offshore products.Wärtsilä Tank Control Systems designs, builds, sells, and services measurement systems for gas tanks on LNG ships, offshore storage, and land-based LNG terminals.

Lithuanian company AB Klaipedos Nafta (KN) has been appointed as the operator of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Brazilian Port of Açu.To execute the contract, KN has established a company in Brazil and plans to form a team of up to 30 local specialists in 2020.KN, KN Açu Serviços de Terminal de GNL Ltda. (Brazilian SPV) and Gas Natural Açu (GNA), which is a joint venture among Prumo Logistica, BP and Siemens, signed an operation and maintenance services agreement for the provision of the relevant services.Following the signing of the agreement, KN assumes the responsibility for the provision of safe, reliable and efficient operations…

The Asian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market stood at over $81.4 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% to cross $109 billion by 2024, as increasing demand for LPG  as a fuel for power generation in remote and off-grid locations in comparison to its less environment-friendly alternatives like coal, diesel and fuel oil.Increasing demand for LPG used to run vehicles (Autogas)  is being witnessed as it is a comparatively cheaper automotive fuel and can be used in vast applications related to transportation, said a report by ResearchAndMarkets.Of the overall LPG consumed across the globe, nearly 87% is used for residential/consumer use.By source, the Asian LPG market has been categorized into Refinery, Associated Gases & Non-Associated Gases.

Lithuania's state-run oil and LNG terminal operator Klaipedos Nafta (Klaipedos Oil, KN) said on Wednesday it’s currently negotiating an operations and maintenance services agreement for a LNG terminal in Brazil with Brazils' Gas Natural Acu (GNA).Under such Agreement KN may commit to incorporate a company in Brazil (hereinafter – Brazilian  SPV) for the provision of such services.For that reason, KN may need to give a guarantee or guarantees to secure the fulfillment of obligations of the Brazilian SPV to GNA (or its legal successor) under the Agreement for the validity period of the Agreement (issuing a guarantee or guarantees for the…

The electrical capacity of the APM Terminals Barcelona has also been improved, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 600 tonnes per annum, said the international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague.As part of a broader Port of Barcelona’s programme for alternative fuel use, APM Terminals is also working with LNG services provider HAM, technology provider IDIADA and Naturgy Iberia, on a pilot to convert an existing straddle carrier to natural gas.Natural gas burns a lot more cleanly and efficiently than diesel. The straddle carrier’s two 150 kW diesel-based motor engines are currently being converted to natural gas while maintaining the same level of performance.

Yamal LNG has shipped the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Spanish company Gas Natural Fenosa under a long-term offtake agreement, a press release from PAO Novatek said. The 170 thousand cubic meter Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier “Fedor Litke” unloaded the first cargo in the port of Mugardos in accordance with the lifting and delivery schedule. Annual sales volumes according to the 24-year long-term offtake contract are 2.5 million tons of LNG, which equals to more than 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Novatek's Chairman of Management Board Leonid Mikhelson noted: "The first LNG tanker shipped today to  Gas Natural Fenosa…

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Cheniere Energy Inc said it planned to make a final investment decision to build the third liquefaction train at its Corpus Christi LNG export facility in Texas in the first half of 2018:Cheniere said on Friday its Cheniere Corpus Christi Holdings LLC subsidiary engaged financial institutions to arrange up to $6.4 billion of credit facilities. The unit already has about $4.6 billion of existing credit facilities.Cheniere said it will use the credit facilities to fund a portion of the costs of developing…

The volume of gas flowing into the facility dropped from about 3.2 billion cubic feet per day on Wednesday to 2.8 bcfd on Thursday and a projected 1.5 bcfd on Friday, Reuters data showed. One bcfd is enough gas to fuel about five million U.S. homes. The plant had been operating near full capacity with about 3.2 bcfd of gas flowing in since mid-January when freezing water during a brutal cold snap forced the company to briefly reduce operations. Officials at Cheniere would not comment on the latest reduction. Earlier this week, the company said its operations were not affected following an order on Feb. 8 from federal regulators to shut two cracked storage tanks that leaked the super-cold fuel.

Norway's Höegh LNG said on Wednesday that its floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Höegh Giant has started its time charter contract with Spanish LNG operator Gas Natural Fenosa. The  initial term of the contract is three years, and it includes the option for Gas Natural Fenosa to utilize the unit as an FSRU at a pre-defined day rate and for a pre-defined term. Until FSRU employment is established, the unit will trade in Gas Natural Fenosa's fleet, earning a LNG carrier spot-market-linked day rate. The Höegh Giant will transit the Panama Canal destined for Sabine Pass in the United States, where it will load its first cargo under the Gas Natural Fenosa contract, reflecting the flexibility and full trading capabilities of Höegh LNG's premier FSRU fleet.

Spanish liquefied natural gas (LNG) operator Gas Natural Fenosa signed an exclusive 10-year LNG supply deal with Spanish ferry operator Baleària. According to the company release, the supply contract will initially apply to the ports of Barcelona, Valencia and Algeciras, then extended to all the peninsular ports operated by the shipping company together with the entire new fleet powered by this fuel committed to using LNG as an ecological fuel. The president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, and the Wholesale Iberian Marketing Manager of GAS NATURAL FENOSA, Joaquín Mendiluce, this morning signed this agreement at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid.

The marine industry as a whole is responsible for about 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Shipbuilders and fleet owners have spent the last two decades adjusting to shifting emissions regulations since the introduction of the MARPOL Convention 1997 Protocol, which included specific regulations for the reduction of air pollution from marine vessels. Since then, there have been additions and amendments to ensure that the industry is doing its bit to better support the environment, with the latest regulation pulling forward lower caps in global emissions.

Trelleborg has hailed the recent test of the Universal Transfer System (UTS) conducted with Connect LNG and Gas Natural Fenosa, as tangible evidence of the new applications that its suite of products for jettyless LNG transfer can unlock in this challenging field. The UTS transferred LNG from the Skangas-chartered LNG carrier Coral Energy to the onshore terminal at the Norwegian port of Herøya on October 7 and is now in full commercial operation. A ‘plug and play’ solution, the UTS requires no modifications to the LNG carrier – instead…

Houston-based energy company Cheniere Energy said that it is nearing completion of its fourth liquefied natural gas unit at its massive Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana near the Texas border. The company, primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses, owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana. "Our long-term contract with Gas Natural Fenosa commenced and first LNG production occurred from Train 4 at Sabine Pass," said Jack Fusco, Cheniere's President and CEO. "We are revising our 2017 guidance upward as our operating results year-to-date have exceeded our expectations, primarily due to LNG trains entering service ahead of schedule and the ramp-up in LNG production levels occurring faster than we'd forecast earlier this year.

Norwegian operator Knutsen OAS Shipping has ordered four MAN B&W 5G70ME-GI engines with EGR systems in connection with the construction of two 180,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker newbuildings. Upon delivery in 2020, the vessels will transport cargoes worldwide for two Spanish utility companies. According to the engine’s manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo, the order follows the increasingly popular path initiated by Gas Natural Fenosa, the multinational Spanish group that was the pioneer in adopting ME-GI technology in an order for four LNG tankers in 2013.

The biggest divergence between U.S. and Asian gas prices in a year has created an opportunity for tankers delivering liquefied natural gas, with most departures from a key Louisiana terminal in the last month-and-a-half heading toward East Asia, shipping data released on Wednesday show. The facility, Sabine Pass, owned by Cheniere Energy Inc, opened last year as the first LNG export terminal in the U.S. Lower 48 states. The United States has been exporting gas out of Alaska since 1969. U.S.

As weak demand in India forces it to stall some contracted supply, GAIL India Ltd (GAIL) is in talks with Russia's Gazprom to delay and renegotiate a 20-year gas purchase deal undercut by low spot prices, reports Reuters. GAIL  and Gazprom had earlier signed a deal for two decades at a price linked to oil, adding to contracts to buy the fuel from GDF Suez SA and Gas Natural Fenosa this year. Accordingly, GAIL will buy 2.5 million tonnes (3.5 billion cubic metres) a year of liquefied natural gas from Russia’s monopoly gas exporter starting in 2018 and 2019. Shipments under the deal are linked to crude oil prices which are rising while gas prices are expected to stay subdued for longer as major new production plants in Australia and the United States start up.

Primeline Energy Holdings Inc. announces that it has sent a letter to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and CNOOC China Limited (CCL) (together CNOOC Group) giving formal notice of its intention to commence arbitration proceedings against CNOOC Group under the provisions of the Petroleum Contract for Block 25/34. The CNOOC Arbitration relates to Primeline’s continuing disputes with CNOOC Group with regard to the development, production and sales of gas from the LS36-1 Gas Field (LS36-1). Primeline has appointed an arbitrator and will file the formal Notice of Arbitration in accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules 1976 and the arbitration agreement under the Petroleum Contract for Block 25/34.

Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) extended their fall this week on slack demand, although production issues in Australia helped stem losses. LNG for May delivery in Asia traded at around $4.20 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), compared with $4.30 per mmBtu last week. LNG for June delivery was lower at around $4.00 per mmBtu. Mechanical problems at Australia's Gorgon LNG export terminal are expected to halt production for 30 to 60 days, a development which traders said had helped stop prices sliding further this week. "The impact is that the market hasn't come down quicker," a trader said. On the shipping side, however, it had contributed to a glut in tankers.

Argentina tenders for 19 cargoes. Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) eased under pressure from growing supplies though fresh demand from Argentina limited losses, traders said. LNG for May delivery in Asia eased to $4.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down 5 cents from the previous week. Traders said prices were supported by Argentina's tender to buy 19 LNG cargoes for May to August delivery, following a large purchase earlier in the week. Traders said Argentina bought about 20 cargoes on Wednesday from companies including Trafigura, Statoil, BP, Gazprom, Glencore, Gas Natural and Petrobras, having tendered for 32. The cargoes sold for about $4.50 per mmBtu, they said.

Egypt's state-owned EGAS said on Friday it had postponed a liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivery from BP last month until later this year, rejecting suggestions there were any payment difficulties. LNG tanker British Sapphire was diverted to Brazil rather than discharging in Egypt. Traders said the delay was related to payment problems. "This is completely untrue," EGAS Chairman Khaled Abdel Badie told Reuters, adding that deliveries had been postponed until Egypt's peak energy consumption period in August. Egypt became a major market for LNG shippers after the launch of two floating import terminals last year. Badie said Egypt is looking to rent a third floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in the first quarter on 2016.

BP's diversion of a tanker of liquefied natural gas (LNG) away from Egypt due to payment issues is the first sign that the country's currency crisis could be jeopardising its energy supplies, traders said. Earlier this month the tanker British Sapphire was diverted to Brazil rather than discharging in Egypt, with the delivery of the LNG cargo for Egypt delayed up until October, traders said. BP declined to comment. Egypt's state-owned EGAS was not available to comment. Egypt has been struggling to pay for U.S. dollar-priced oil products and LNG due to an acute foreign currency crisis, worsened by the Russian airliner disaster in October, which hit tourism revenue.

Seven companies reportedly met with Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. (EGAS) to discuss an  liquified natural gas (LNG) tender, including: Vitol, Noble Group, Trafigura, EDF Trading, PetroChina, Shell and Gas Natural, reports Reuters. EGAS will buy 55 LNG cargoes from November this year to December 2016 through a tender it has agreed to with those seven different companies. Originally, only 45 LNG cargoes were to be delivered. The cargoes are expected to meet much of Egypt's near-term energy needs as the government tries to cope with an energy shortage. Falling output and rising demand have turned the country from an oil and gas exporter to net importer and it has emerged as a major new market for LNG.

Höegh LNG Holdings Ltd. has sold the LNG carrier LNG Libra (built 1979) to a Chinese energy company for around USD 20 million. The Company has received 15% of the purchase price and will receive the remaining 85% by the end of the first quarter 2016, after the vessel has completed her current charter with Gas Natural. Höegh LNG's President and Chief Executive Officer, Sveinung J. S. Støhle, said in a comment: "LNG Libra was acquired to meet the bid conditions for a specific FSRU project as a conversion candidate, however, we succeeded in placing one of our newbuild FSRUs instead.