Papua docks at PNG LNG terminal for first cargo

The Papua, the first PNG LNG project custom-built ship, arrived at the PNG LNG marine facilities on 22 February to begin cool down and loading of its first LNG cargo.

The 172,000 cbm, 290-metre-long LNG carrier, has entered service on a long-term charter with the PNG LNG project, providing LNG transportation to major customers in Asia. The Papua is the largest liquefied natural gas carrier ever to be built in China, PNG LNG said in a statement.

“We are already off to an exciting start to 2015 with our first custom-built ship preparing to load its first cargo, which will be shipped to Sinopec. The arrival of this ship supports our objective to safely and reliably deliver LNG to our customers,” said Andrew Barry, ExxonMobil PNG managing director.

The Papua is owned by Aquarius LNG Shipping Limited, which is a joint venture with Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL), China Shipping Group, and Sinopec. MOL will operate the ship on behalf of the PNG LNG venture and deliver cargoes under the direction of ExxonMobil PNG Limited, the operator of the PNG LNG project.

In 2011, Exxon Mobil Corporation and MOL selected Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, to build two LNG carriers in China for the LNG project. The Papua is the first of the ships to be built, with the other scheduled for completion in 2016.

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Image: PNG LNG