Australia Pacific Lng News

Shipments of LNG from Australia Pacific LNG have come to a halt after a loaded tanker docked at the site lost power, operator ConocoPhillips and co-owner Origin Energy said on Tuesday.So far two LNG cargoes have been delayed, and Origin warned "it expected that more LNG cargoes will be deferred", as the stricken vessel was blocking other tankers from entering the facility on Curtis Island off Australia's east coast.APLNG, which has a capacity of 9 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG…

Australia will not put curbs on gas exports after reaching a deal with its three east coast producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to avert a forecast supply crunch, Resources Minister Madeleine King said on Thursday.The government threatened the export curbs in August, worrying Asian buyers and LNG investors, following a warning by the competition watchdog that the east coast market faced a shortfall of 57 petajoules of gas in 2023.The pact unveiled on Thursday provides for Queensland Curtis LNG…

Lockdowns to slow the coronavirus pandemic are pummelling gas demand in the world's biggest buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), pushing Asia's spot prices to record lows and forcing some suppliers to start cutting output. Economies worldwide have ground to a halt as virus containment measures have taken their toll, slashing gas demand for power generation, heating, cooking, vehicles and chemical manufacture. The world's biggest LNG markets - Japan, China, South Korea, and India - are all seeing a drop in demand. Asia's spot LNG prices dropped to $1.85 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) last week, the lowest ever, as cargoes have flooded the market. "At prices in the $2/mmBtu range ... some producers are getting close to not recovering cash costs of their operations.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and China’s Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation (CSET) have signed a memorandum of understanding to further cooperate in LNG carrier and ethane carrier projects."The MOU recognizes and further develops the joint cooperation between the two organizations, for future LNG carrier projects and Ethane carrier projects," said a press release.Over more than 10 years, MOL and CSET have established a strong and extensive partnership, which MOL and CSET jointly participate in various ongoing projects, namely the ExxonMobil DES Project, Australia Pacific LNG Project and Yamal LNG Project.At the same time…

Limited availability drove LNG shipping rates to highs; but prices now falling as more ship supply becomes available.Inflated spot charter rates for liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are easing as more ships becoming available, which could help increase LNG trade if Asian demand rises in coming months.LNG charter rates are a key component of spot LNG trade, dictating the way the super-cooled gas is transported. Charter rates usually follow the price of LNG, which has fallen since September due to sluggish demand from Asian buyers.Rates have remained high for most of this year…

The Australia Pacific LNG project (APLNG) said that it has signed a deal to buy gas from neighboring Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG ) project and for both projects to share infrastructure.Under the tolling agreements, the QCLNG project will be able to transport and process gas and water from the Arrow Energy Surat Basin fields using available capacity in existing Australia Pacific LNG-QCLNG joint infrastructure. The infrastructure sharing arrangements will commence from 2020 and continue until 2035, with options to extend to the end of 2049.In addition, Australia Pacific LNG has taken the opportunity to secure up to 350 PJ of gas from the QCLNG project.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced the delivery of the LNG carrier CESI Lianyungang, which was ordered by the joint venture of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (CCSC) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC), at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Hudong) on May 31. The CESI Lianyungang is the sixth vessel in the China LNG Transportation Project announced in April 2013, and will sail under a long-term charter transporting LNG that SINOPEC purchases from the Australia Pacific LNG Project. This project, which built LNG carriers in China, follows the ExxonMobil LNG project, announced in March 2010  (four newbuilding LNG carriers were ordered from Hudong and delivered by April 2016).

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)  announced that the LNG carrier CESI Tianjin, which was ordered by the joint venture of MOL, China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (China COSCO Shipping) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC), was delivered at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (Hudong) on September 26. The CESI Tianjin is the fourth vessel to serve the LNG transport project for SINOPEC announced in April 2013, and will sail under a long-term charter contract to transport LNG that SINOPEC will purchase from the Australia Pacific LNG Project. A total of six newbuilding LNG carriers are being built at Hudong. The first vessel, the CESI Gladstone was delivered in October 2016, the second, the CESI Qingdao in January 2017, and the third, the CESI Beihai, in June 2017.

Spot LNG exports in government's cross-hairs; ConocoPhillips, Origin, Shell now in the firing line. The Australian government on Monday warned that the country's east faced a worse-than-expected natural gas shortfall in 2018, but the competition watchdog said the gap could easily be filled by diverting uncontracted exports to the local market. It is now up to the government to decide by Nov. 1 whether to pull the trigger on its Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism, which allows it to curb liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the nation's east coast if it determines there will be a shortfall in any year. The supply gap identified…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) today announced that the LNG carrier CESI Beihai-ordered by a joint venture of MOL, China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (China COSCO Shipping), and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC)-was delivered at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) (Hudong) in Shanghai on June 1. The CESI Beihai is the third vessel to serve the China FOB Transportation Project"  announced in April 2013, and will sail under a long-term charter to transport LNG that SINOPEC purchases from the Australia Pacific LNG project. A total of six LNG carriers are being built at Hudong for the project. The first vessel, the CESI Gladstone, was delivered in October, 2016, and the second, the CESI Qingdao, in January of this year.

Australia's conservative government unveiled a radical plan on Thursday to restrict exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at times when domestic shortages push up local prices, aiming to ease soaring energy costs for local manufacturers. The plan would allow Australia's resources minister to impose controls on LNG exports on advice from the market operator and regulator, as the government seeks to cap domestic gas prices, which have become a political hot potato. "It's not a threat. This will be export controls.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that the LNG carrier CESI Qingdao - ordered by a joint venture of MOL, China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (China COSCO Shipping) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) - was delivered at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (Hudong) on January 6. The CESI Qingdao is the second vessel to serve the China FOB Transportation Project" announced in April 2013, and will sail under a long-term charter to transport LNG that SINOPEC purchases from the Australia Pacific LNG project. A total of 6 LNG carriers will be built at Hudong for the project. The first vessel, the CESI Gladstone, was delivered at the end of October, 2016. The remaining four will be delivered in succession by 2018.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that the LNG carrier CESI Qingdao — ordered by a joint venture of MOL, China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) — was delivered at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (Hudong) on January 6. The CESI Qingdao is the second vessel to serve the China FOB Transportation Project” (*1) announced in April 2013, and will sail under a long-term charterto transport LNG that SINOPEC purchases from the Australia Pacific LNG project. A total of 6 LNG carriers will be built at Hudong for the project. The first vessel, theCESI Gladstone, was delivered at the end of October, 2016. (*2) The remaining four will be delivered in succession by 2018.

LNG shipowners will have to wait until 2018 for earnings to improve, when the majority of new US plants are expected to come online, according to the latest edition of the LNG Forecaster report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. The first quarter of 2016 was no better than the previous quarter for LNG shipowners as spot rates remained low at around $30,000pd. Two new liquefaction plants, Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) in Australia and Sabine Pass LNG in the US, began operations in the first quarter of 2016. But freight rates for LNG carriers remain low despite the new liquefaction trains coming online. The ramping up of Australian LNG exports will not bring any respite to LNG shipowners given the short-haul voyage distance between Oceania and Asian markets.

China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec) has taken delivery of the first LNG cargo at its new terminal at Beihai City in Guangxi Zhuang, with the arrival yesterday of the LNG carrier Methane Spirit, delivering a cargo from ConocoPhillips-operated Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG)project in Australia. The cargo was delivered onboard the 160,000 cbm Methane Spirit LNG carrier, Sinopec said. Located in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the facility is the second of five LNG terminals planned by Sinopec as China works to raise the proportion of natural gas in its energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first LNG facility in the Guangxi region. The company started construction on the LNG project in 2013 with 17.78 billion yuan ($2.8 bln) of first phase investment.

Australia's ascent to liquefied natural gas (LNG) producing giant is choking off trade routes from Atlantic to Pacific markets established after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, giving rise to new routes. Mass cargo diversions from west to east earned traders fat margins as Asian markets commanded steep price premiums, partly driven by Japan's scramble to replace lost nuclear output. Waning Asian demand, major new supply from nearby Australia and converging global LNG prices are all putting a stop to long-haul diversions. At $0.40 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), Asia's premium over European markets is less than the cost of shipping a cargo from Britain to Japan, a trader said, slamming the brakes on cross-basin trade. But new routes are emerging.

Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) slid for the third straight week, as pressure mounted from new Australian and U.S. supplies, traders said. LNG for April delivery in Asia eased to $4.30 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down 20 cents from the previous week. Traders said they expected prices to fall below $4 during the summer as supply continues to pick up from new projects. "There's a bit of a squeeze going on from both sides of the world so prices are only going to go one way until things start to stabilise," said a trader. Cheniere Energy expects to export eight to 10 more cargoes of LNG in the next two months out of its newly commissioned Sabine Pass terminal.

The Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal will ship its first cargo later than initially thought, according to an announcement by Cheniere Energy Partners LP. The Houston-based company now forecasts that its first shipment will not leave its Sabine Pass plant until late February or March 2016, a slip from a planned January departure. Construction of the first liquefaction train at the terminal was completed ahead of schedule, Cheniere said, but the firm said that new instrumentation issues discovered during commissioning will take several weeks to address. "We are now expecting the first cargo in late February or March," said Neal Shear, Interim President and CEO. Despite the delay, the Sabine Pass facility is slated to be the first in the lower 48 states to ship LNG overseas.

The first cargo of liquefied natural gas has sailed from the mammoth Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) facility in Queensland, following a delay of at least two weeks with another carrier waiting to be loaded. The startup of the APLNG project comes after a slight delay. APLNG had earlier announced that it expected the first cargo to be exported by the end of 2015. The shipment, carried on the 935-foot tanker Methane Spirit and bound for customers in Asia, is among the first in a wave of liquefied natural gas projects that are coming online even as low oil prices have dragged down the value of natural gas on international markets. APLNG facility takes natural gas from Eastern Australia, liquefies it and then ships it on specialized tankers.

Sinopec's LNG tanker floats off Gladstone for more than 2 weeks; demurrage costs climb to more than $500,000. The Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) project has delayed its first commercial cargo, racking up costs for China's Sinopec Corp which has had a tanker waiting to load for more than two weeks, two sources close to the matter said on Tuesday. LNG tanker BW Pavilion Vanda, chartered by the Chinese company, arrived at the Gladstone anchorage on Dec. 18, but has yet to load a cargo, live ship-tracking data on Reuters Eikon showed. "The plant appears to have run into teething issues," one of the sources said, adding that there was no indication of when Sinopec's cargo would load.

Demand in Japan, South Korea and China stalls; demand from new importers not enough to meet soaring supplies. Asia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) glut is set to deepen in 2016 as long-planned new production comes to the market just as demand from top buyers Japan and South Korea as well as China wanes. While analysts say that new consumer demand may offset dwindling use from established buyers, new supplies will outweigh overall orders, resulting in a low gas price outlook for years to come. "From having been an import basin, Asia will next year be going to have excess supplies and worse so in 2017," said David Hewitt, co-head of global oil and gas equity research at Credit Suisse.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today took part in a naming ceremony for the newbuilding liquefied natural gas carrier LNG FUKUROKUJU, which is co-owned by MOL and Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. at Sakaide Works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Among the many guests on hand were KEPCO President and Director Yagi, who named the new vessel, and his wife, who cut the rope. The LNG FUKUROKUJU will serve a broad range of projects including the Australia/Pacific LNG Project after the delivery. The vessel adopts a new steam turbine engine that reuses steam for heating, which will also reduce fuel consumption, and an advanced heat insulation system that offers the lowest LNG vaporization rate - 0.08% - of any LNG carrier in the world.

It all began with a pre-World War II contract between China's then "ship king" and a Japanese company to lease two Chinese freighters. When the one-year lease was up in 1937, the ships were nowhere to be found. That year also marked the start of a full-scale war between China and Japan. And so began a protracted legal case which came to a head last weekend, when a Chinese court ordered the seizure of an iron ore carrier owned by the successor to the original Japanese company in compensation for the loss of the two Chinese vessels. The impoundment has created unease in Japan's government, which warns that the action could affect Japanese businesses in China. It remains unclear whether the sudden ruling by the Shanghai Maritime Court would herald the seizure of more Japanese assets.