Rasgas Company News

Despite some recent turbulence, the global business environment for liquefied natural gas (LNG) remains strong, and a continuous growth in demand is expected for years to come, said Khalid Sultan R Al Kuwari, Chief Marketing and Shipping Officer of RasGas Company Limited. Speaking at the CWC 16th World LNG Summit in Rome Al Kuwari said that a growth rate of approximately 5% per year from 2015 to 2025 is anticipated. During this period, LNG demand is expected to outpace the overall growth in natural gas demand, he explained. He was presenting his ‘Overview of the LNG Industry in the Year Past, the Present and the Future’ as a member of the Global Strategy Panel at the Summit.

Nakilat, in association with Qatari LNG producers Qatargas and RasGas Company Limited and engine manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo, recently celebrated the success of the ME-GI project involving the retrofit of chartered Q-Max vessel, Rasheeda, with a gas-burning M-Type Electronically Controlled – Gas Injection (ME-GI) System, which has now been successfully commissioned. The Qatari-owned Q-Max vessel is the world’s first low-speed marine diesel engine to be converted to use LNG as a fuel. The retrofit modification meets the current known and future stated global emissions regulations. Nakilat’s Rasheeda built in 2010 is a 266,000 m3 LNG carrier with two MAN B&W S70ME-C HFO-burning engines, which have been converted to the dual-fuel ME-GI concept.

Nakilat, Qatargas and RasGas Company Limited will convert a Q-Max vessel as a pilot project making it capable of running on LNG and reducing the ship’s exhaust gas and greenhouse gas emissions. Qatari shipping company Nakilat and Qatari LNG producers Qatargas and RasGas Company Limited have agreed with engine manufacturer MAN Diesel and Turbo to convert a Q-Max vessel to use LNG as an alternative to heavy fuel oil in the main engines. The proactive initiative reinforces Qatar’s commitment toward the environment with plans to convert an existing low-speed diesel LNG carrier to use LNG as fuel thereby reducing the ship’s exhaust gas emissions.

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.

RasGas Company Limited (RasGas), the Qatar based premium LNG exporter, continues to grow its fleet to meet global demand. RasGas, Teekay Nakilat and J5 name seven Q-Flex LNG carriers that will enter long-term RasGas charters in ceremonies at both the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyards in South Korea. These ships bring the RasGas LNG fleet to a total 20 ships ranging from 138,000 cu.m through to 217,000 cu.m. On the February 20, in the first of two naming ceremonies, the first four Q-Flex ships with a cargo carrying capacity of 217,000 m3, approximately 50 per cent larger than conventional ships and the largest ships currently chartered by RasGas were formally named by VIP sponsors.

The Director of the RasGas Company announced that Qatar has become the world's biggest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) producer, at a total LNG capacity of 30.7 million tons per annum (mtpa), the Peninsula reported. He pointed out that the company's latest project, the RasGas Train-5, which cost about $1.7 billion, has an annual LNG capacity of 4.7 million tons. He added that the total volume of investments in the mega project, which is a joint venture Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil have also invested, reached more than $20 billion. The official, who was addressing a press conference, indicated that the Train-5 will bring the total RasGas output to nearly 21 million tons a year. He added that the project's output will be directed to European markets mainly.

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.

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.