(Article updated on 08.06. to include a statement by the Gate terminal)
The Netherlands and Poland have both received a cargo from Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana, the first ever US LNG cargoes produced from shale gas to reach the two countries.
The 140,000-cbm Arctic Discoverer docked on Thursday at the Dutch Gate terminal located in the port of Rotterdam.
The LNG tanker “is unloading the cargo,” Stefaan Adriaens , Commercial Manager at the Gate terminal confirmed to LNG World News on Thursday morning.
This is the first ever cargo of US LNG to land in Northwest Europe.
Adriaens did not provide any further information on the LNG shipment. “For us as terminal, (this is) an unloading just as any other unloading,” he said.
At the same time, in Central Europe, Poland is also receiving its first cargo of the chilled fuel from the US.
The 162,000-cbm Clean Ocean arrived at Poland’s first LNG import terminal in Swinoujscie on Wednesday and was still discharging its cargo on Thursday morning.
In its efforts to diversify the supply sources of natural gas and reduce dependence on pipeline imports from Russia, Poland secured the spot cargo delivery of U.S. LNG in May this year.
The agreement was signed during the Polish secretary of state and chief of the cabinet of the president, Krzysztof Szczerski‘s visit to Washington.
So far, US LNG cargoes landed only in the southern part of Europe. Italy, Malta, Spain, Portugal and Turkey received Sabine Pass cargoes since February last year when the plant started shipping the fuel.
Currently, there are only three liquefaction trains in operation at the Sabine Pass facility and in the lower 48 states.
A growing number of US LNG shipments are seen heading to Europe in the future as more liquefaction projects located along the US Gulf Coast come online.
The U.S. is expected to become the world’s third-largest LNG supplier by 2020 behind Qatar and Australia.
LNG World News Staff