New milestone for offshore gas project as LNG carrier departs with first cargo load (Video)

U.S. energy infrastructure player New Fortress Energy (NFE) has completed the first cargo load and sail operation at its floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit off the coast of Altamira, Mexico.

The first LNG cargo comes days after the start of production at NFE’s inaugural Fast LNG installation, FLNG 1, which is made up of three repurposed jack-up rigs off the coast of Altamira with a capacity of 1.4 million tons per annum (mtpa). Since the start-up was originally expected to occur at the beginning of the second quarter, the delays in placing the FLNG 1 project into service have been estimated to cost the firm approximately $150 million per quarter in lost operating margin.

“We’re excited to announce first cargo load & sail at our first Fast LNG project, located offshore of Altamira, Mexico! The first cargo has been loaded onto the Energos Princess and will be delivered to our La Paz, Mexico terminal. We’re excited to begin supplying our customers with our own LNG – a significant milestone for our company and the world of LNG,” highlighted New Fortress Energy.

With a capacity of 138,158 m3, Energos Infrastructure’s Energos Princess LNG carrier (LNGC) is now on its way to Mexico’s terminal to unload the first cargo. The FLNG is due to undertake a scheduled maintenance program. As a result, it will be out of commission with the outage expected to last for several days. The unit will resume operations and reach full production later this month.

Recently, NFE completed its previously announced $700 million loan for its second unit, FLNG 2, with construction works slated to be finished in the first half of 2026. The U.S. company has received the all-clear to export up to 7.8 million metric tons through April 2028 from the Altamira Fast LNG facility.

The export permit came from Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (SENER) after the project secured authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the export of United States-sourced LNG to Mexico and other free trade agreement (FTA) countries.

The U.S. player’s recent sale of Miami LNG follows the divestment of its 20% equity interest in Energos Infrastructure. The firm also began operations at its LNG import terminal in Santa Catarina, Brazil, once a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) arrived at the scene.