1st LNG Cargo Delivered to China’s Hainan Terminal

On 7 August Qatargas delivered the first cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to China National Oil Corporation’s (CNOOC) Hainan LNG terminal located in the Hainan province.

The cargo arrived aboard a Q-Max class LNG vessel Rasheeda and it will be used to commission the new LNG terminal, owned byCNOOC, which will start operating soon.

Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatargas Chief Executive Officer said: “This is an important milestone for Qatargas. We are very pleased that LNG from Qatar continues to contribute towards meeting the growing demand for energy in the People’s Republic of China. This achievement highlights Qatargas’ capability to supply LNG to customers around the globe safely and reliably. This delivery will further strengthen the relationship between both companies over the long-term.”

“Under the guidance of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry of the State of Qatar and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatargas, Qatari LNG has a key role to play in contributing to countries around the world in improving their diversity of energy supplies. The commissioning of CNOOC’s Hainan LNG terminal will meet the growing demand for energy in the People’s Republic of China, and we at Qatargas are very proud to have played a contributing role.”

Qatargas and CNOOC have an existing Sales and Purchase Agreement signed in 2008 for the supply of a total of 2 million tonnes per annum (MTA) of LNG. The first delivery of LNG from Qatar to China with CNOOC was made in October 2009.

Qatargas is the world’s largest LNG producing company with a production capacity of 42 MTA. The State of Qatar, as the world’s leading LNG producer, anticipates that the People’s Republic of China will become one of the world’s largest gas markets.

The Hainan LNG terminal, located in China’s Hainan province, will have a first phase receiving capacity of 3 MTA adding to CNOOC’s operating LNG terminals located in Shanghai Municipality, and the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang thus maintaining its position as China’s largest LNG importer. This is the third time Qatargas has provided a commissioning cargo for one of CNOOC’s LNG receiving terminals and represents the sixth LNG receiving terminal overall in China to use LNG supplied by Qatargas for commissioning activities.