Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company News

Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), announced that its Cameron LNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) receipt terminal near Lake Charles, La., has successfully completed performance testing and has begun commercial operations. Over the past month, start-up and commissioning activities have been completed, including the arrival of the facility's first two LNG commissioning cargoes and obtaining the approval to commence operations from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Qatar-based Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company (Rasgas) reportedly started its first gas exports, two months earlier than planned.

At a ceremony in South Korea, RasGas Company Ltd named another long term charter LNG tanker into their LNG cargo fleet. RasGas celebrated the launch of the ship at a ceremony in South Korea hosted by the shipbuilders, Samsung Hyundai Industries (SHI) at their Goje Island shipyard. Barbara Wolahan, wife of former RasGas Managing Director, Jerry Wolahan, was the sponsor of the ship. At the ceremony, Mrs Wolahan named the ship Ejnan after an island off the west coast of Qatar. The ship is the 11th LNG vessel to enter into long term charter with Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II) and the 7th and last of the conventional sized ships to be delivered from SHI.

According to BS Reporter, a delegation from Qatar is expected to visit India shortly to carry out due diligence for a possible investment in Petronet LNG. Qatar Investment Authority is likely to pick up a stake in Petronet by subscribing to a $100mn foreign currency convertible bond issue which is expected to be floated soon. Qatar had earlier been offered a 10 per cent stake in 2003 when the company offered shares to the public. In 1999, Petronet had signed a 25-year contract with Qatar’s Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company (RasGas) for 7.5 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG. Source: BS Reporter

Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (RasGas) made its first delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the shores of Qatar to Mexico on October 8. This event followed a spot sale to Shell Western LNG B V by Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited. The LNG cargo was loaded on board the LNG tanker Fuwairit, and departed from Ras Laffan, on September 16, the press release added. The voyage of 22 days over a distance of 9,915 nautical miles was routed through the Suez Canal and the Straits of Gibraltar to the Terminal de LNG de Altamira, Mexico. Terminal de LNG de Altamira is the first LNG receiving terminal in Mexico and came into operation only in August of this year.

Qatari Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company (RasGas-3) on Monday signed a 20-year contract with two tankers companies to rent 12 natural gas tankers starting on 2008. The agreement was signed by Qatari Minister of Finance and Board Chairman of RasGas-3 Yousef Hussein Kamal, Deputy Board Chairman Dr. Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim, and representatives of the foreign companies. A company source said that the company will receive the ships between March and August 2008, noting that ships' capacity ranges between 210,000 and 217, 000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas. Meanwhile, contracts to build the ships were signed between the two foreign companies and three Korean heavy industries companies of Hyundai, Samsung, and DAEWOO.

In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of an inauguration ceremony held in Doha, Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, announced the launch of Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (RL3). RL3 is a further expansion of the existing LNG production facilities operated by RasGas Company Limited (Qatar Petroleum 70 percent; ExxonMobil 30 percent) at Ras Laffan Industrial city in North Eastern Qatar. This project is planned to bring the total number of trains operated by RasGas to seven (Trains 1 and 2 in RL, 3 through 5 in RL II and 6 and 7 in RL 3) and is expected to increase RasGas LNG production capacity by more than 70 percent. Full-chain investment in RL 3 is estimated at near $14 billion.

McDermott International, Inc. announced that a subsidiary of J.Ray McDermott, S.A. has been awarded a contract by Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (3) to provide engineering, procurement, construction and installation services for new facilities in Qatar’s North Field, as part of the Phase 2 Offshore Expansion Project. Contracts of this type are typically valued at approximately $0.5 billion. “RasGas is a valued client of J. Ray and its trust in our management, operations and quality of services explains the repeatability in our project work and the longevity of our relationship,” said Bob Deason, President and Chief Operating Officer of J. Ray.