Yamal Trans-shipment First for Gate LNG
The Gate LNG terminal in Rotterdam says it has performed the first transshipment of a Yamal LNG cargo, telling NGW January 3 that the transshipment – involving the second cargo exported from Yamal LNG – was performed December 30, with both vessels involved leaving on December 31.
“The Boris Vilkitsky unloaded while the Clean Ocean was loading. Everything went smoothly, thanks to good preparation and co-operation of which we are obviously quite proud,” said Stefaan Adriaens, Gate LNG’s commercial manager, without disclosing cargo ownership.
That Gate was chosen is a coup of sorts, as Swiss-based Novatek Gas & Power – the trading arm of Yamal LNG operator Novatek – had signed long-term agreements for transshipment of Yamal cargoes with Fluxys in March 2015 and with Elengy (part of Engie) in June 2015. The former concerns its Zeebrugge terminal in Belgium, while the Elengy accord relates to its Montoir terminal in northwest France.
However it is possible these long-term transshipment agreements will kick in only once Yamal LNG is past the commissioning phase and its long-term supply contracts have started in the spring. Neither Fluxys nor Yamal LNG had responded to NGW's questions at time of press.
Yamal LNG’s first export cargo arrived at the UK Isle of Grain terminal December 28, delivered by LNG tanker Christophe de Margerie, but a source there told NGW January 2 that the LNG was not regasified into the UK's transmission system. The cargo’s owner, Petronas UK, part of the Malaysian state group, has not commented but the LNG is expected to be re-exported owing to the relatively low UK gas price.
Last month when the first two Yamal LNG cargoes loaded, operator Novatek said that Petronas had bought the first cargo but did not disclose any buyer for the second.
Clean Ocean is shown as ‘underway using its engines’ just outside the Reganosa LNG terminal in northwest Spain, but is posted as ‘under orders’ – meaning a final destination is unclear. In contrast Christophe de Margerie and Boris Vilkitsky are now headed back to Yamal LNG's home port of Sabetta in Russia, scheduled to arrive January 6 and 8 respectively, according to tanker tracking services. The winterised vessels are reserved for short journeys from Sabetta out of the Arctic Circle, with cheaper, conventional tankers doing the final delivery. Novatek is planning also to transship LNG from Kamchatka in the far east of Russia.
As these essentially are commissioning cargoes, long-term contracts have yet to kick off. These will be to a number of offtakers, covering Yamal LNG's eventual three-train 16.5mn mt/yr capacity, including Yamal LNG shareholders Total (4mn mt/yr), Chinese state CNPC (3mn mt/yr) and Novatek (2.4mn mt/yr), but also non-shareholders such as Spain's Gas Natural (2.5mn mt/yr), Russian giant Gazprom (2.9mn mt/yr). French Engie (1mn mt/yr) also signed a contract but that will now be part of Total's offtake, upon completion of a recent deal to transfer Engie's LNG business to Total.
Boris Vilkitsky (rear in photo) is shown trans-shipping LNG to the Clean Ocean (Photo courtesy of Gate LNG)