Cheniere to export sixth Sabine Pass cargo onboard Teekay’s first MEGI newbuild

Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG export terminal is to ship its sixth commissioning cargo since start-up onboard Teekay’s first MEGI-powered LNG carrier.

The M-type, electronically controlled, gas injection (MEGI)-powered LNG tanker named Creole Spirit is currently loading chilled gas at the Louisiana facility, a Teekay spokesman confirmed to LNG World News on Wednesday.

The 174,000 cbm capacity Creole Spirit was delivered to Cheniere in February and will be used to transport chilled gas from the Sabine Pass export facility under a five-year charter deal Teekay has with Cheniere.

Creole Spirit is world’s first MEGI vessel. According to Teekay, MEGI engines are designed to be “significantly more fuel-efficient and have lower emission levels than other engines currently being used in LNG shipping”.

Teekay’s second MEGI-powered LNG vessel, Oak Spirit, also chartered to Cheniere, is expected to start shipping Sabine Pass LNG in the third quarter of this year.

Houston-based Cheniere started exporting LNG from Sabine Pass in February, a major milestone in global LNG trade as the U.S. is set to become a net exporter of domestically sourced shale gas.

Sabine Pass is expected to load up to eight commissioning cargoes as part of its start-up process, after which it will start to operate commercially.

Two of the commissioning cargoes were delivered to Brazil’s Petrobras while Clean Ocean LNG tanker is heading to India to unload the first ever shipment of U.S. shale gas to Asia.

The remaining two cargoes are on its way to Asia and Argentina, shipping data showed.

It was previously reported that the 162,400 cbm BW GDF Suez Brussels was expected to load the fifth cargo, however, the cargo was shipped onboard the Stena Clear Sky LNG tanker. BW GDF Suez Brussels will probably load the seventh cargo from the LNG export plant.

According to analytics firm Genscape, that has infrared cameras pointed at Sabine Pass, these three LNG tankers would put exports from the facility in April at 10.79 Bcf, assuming full loads of each of these ships.

Sabine has produced over 20 Bcf of LNG accounting for fuel use since it began liquefying, Genscape said in a note issued last week.

“Genscape estimates their inventory to be at 14.7 Bcf of their 17 Bcf capacity accounting for commissioning flaring and fuel use, which is more than enough volume to load these three ships. However, Train 1 has not shown any signs of slowing down and has been running ‘full bore’ averaging over 600 MMcf/d in feed gas deliveries since March 9,” Genscape said.

Cheniere plans to build over time up to six liquefaction trains, which are in various stages of development. Each train is expected to have a nominal production capacity of about 4.5 mtpa of LNG.

Commissioning for Train 2 at the Sabine Pass plant is expected to commence in the upcoming months.

LNG World News Staff