First Cargo Departs Cove Point LNG Terminal

Dominion Energy said March 2 the first commissioning cargo of LNG from its 5.25mn metric tons/year (mt/y) Cove Point export terminal in Maryland had departed, with tanker-tracking services saying it was on board the Shell-owned tanker Gemmata.

Shell provided commissioning gas to Cove Point, but would not say where the cargo was destined. Media reports suggest it will be sold into the spot market.

With the departure, Dominion Energy joins Cheniere Energy as the second US terminal to export LNG produced from shale gas. Cheniere has been producing and exporting LNG from its Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana since 2016, and is building a second terminal at Corpus Christi, Texas, where the first two trains are expected in service in 2019.