Qatargas delivers first Q-Max LNG cargo to Zeebrugge terminal

The world’s largest liquefied natural gas producer Qatargas has delivered the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Zeebrugge LNG terminal in Belgium onboard a Q-Max carrier.

The cargo, which was loaded at the Ras Laffan terminal in Qatar on June 22, arrived on board the Q-Max vessel Al Dafna on July 22.

Qatargas said that this was the eight multi-port delivery undertaken by the company in 2019. This was also the first LNG parcel discharged in Zeebrugge and a second parcel at the South Hook LNG terminal in the United Kingdom.

The established practice in the LNG industry is to deliver a single cargo of LNG to a single location. Qatargas’ pioneering achievement was made possible by using the largest class of LNG vessel in the world, a Q-Max vessel, which has a cargo-carrying capacity of 266,000 cubic meters.

Its large capacity allows it to deliver two full conventional size cargoes to multiple destinations and customers in one voyage.

Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatargas’ CEO, said: “[…] we are very much focused on further developing the concept of multi-port deliveries of our LNG cargoes and offer it to our global portfolio of customers.”

Pascal De Buck, CEO and managing director of Zeebrugge LNG terminal owner and operator Fluxys, added: “The Q-Max delivery demonstrates the versatility we offer our customers, with LNG carriers of all types and sizes able to dock at the facility, ample pipe gas take away capacity for delivery throughout north-western Europe and a range of options for downstream small-scale LNG distribution.“