Kumul loads its first PNG LNG cargo

The Kumul, the second custom-built ship for the ExxonMobil-operated US$19 billion PNG LNG project, completed loading its first cargo of the chilled fuel at the project’s jetty on Wednesday.

Kumul recently named in a ceremony in China, is a 172,000 cubic metre, 290-metre- long LNG carrier, entering service on a long-term charter with ExxonMobil PNG, a Papua New Guinean unit of the U.S. giant.

“We could not be more excited about the arrival of the Kumul the second of the custom-built ships to load its first cargo which will be delivered to Sinopec. We are also delighted that the 200 th cargo for PNG LNG will be loaded onto the Spirit of Hela a few days later,” Andrew Barry, ExxonMobil PNG managing director said in a statement.

The Kumul is owned by Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) and East China LNG Shipping Investment. MOL will operate the ship on behalf of the PNG LNG venture and deliver cargos under the direction of ExxonMobil PNG.

In 2011, ExxonMobil and MOL selected Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a unit of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, to build two LNG carriers in China for the PNG LNG project.

The first of the ships to be built, the Papua commenced service in February 2015.

LNG tanker Kumul and its sister vessel the Papua are the largest liquefied natural gas carriers ever to be built in China, according to ExxonMobil PNG.

The PNG LNG project commenced production of liquefied natural gas in April 2014 and delivered its first cargo of LNG in May 2014.

The LNG project includes gas production and processing facilities in the Southern Highlands, Hela, Western, Gulf and Central Provinces of Papua New Guinea.

There are over 700 kilometres of pipelines connecting the facilities, which includes a gas conditioning plant in Hides and liquefaction and storage facilities near Port Moresby with capacity of 6.9 million tonnes per year.

ExxonMobil PNG is operator of the joint venture comprising Oil Search, Santos, National Petroleum Company of PNG, JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration, Mineral Resources Development Company, and Petromin PNG Holdings.