Dubai-headquartered GAC has handled the first tanker to berth at the newly constructed LNG terminal inside Kamarajar Port, Ennore in Chennai, India.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier Golar Snow was carrying the first consignment of 78,037 cubic meters of LNG from Ras Laffan in Qatar for the commissioning of the Indian Oil Corporation’s Ennore LNG terminal.
“The opening of the first LNG terminal on the east coast of India is likely to change trade dynamics and drive industrial growth in this area,” said Srinivasan Sethumadhavan , general manager of shipping services at GAC’s Chennai office.
“Overall, the outlook for the Indian LNG market is promising. Today, India imports some 45% of its total natural gas consumption,” Sethumadhavan said.
He added that the government has invested heavily in the construction of more LNG terminals and pipelines in a bid to transform the country into a gas-based economy.
This flourishing market is expected to give rise to an increase in the number of tanker calls.
To remind, the cargo was delivered at the start of the month for commissioning purposes.
Ennore will be India’s fifth operational LNG terminal and the first LNG terminal on the country’s East Coast.
Once fully commissioned, Ennore will provide regasified LNG to anchor customers, including Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Madras Fertilizers and Manali Petrochemicals.