Oman began loading liquefied natural gas (LNG) onto a ship last Thursday for its first exports of the gas. "It is being loaded as we speak, and it is expected to be shipped tomorrow morning," Oman LNG spokesman Julian Barnes said. Barnes said the shipment would go to South Korea, a key customer for Oman's future LNG sales. Oman LNG, a $2.5 billion LNG project in the Gulf Arab state, has a 25-year contract to sell 4.1 million tons a year of LNG to Korea Gas Corp. It also has supply contracts with Japanese and U.S. firms.