Shell Ships Long-Awaited First LNG Cargo from Prelude

The long-awaited first cargo of liquefied natural gas was shipped from Shell’s Prelude floating LNG facility off northwest Australia on June 10.

The Spain-flagged LNG tanker Valencia Knutsen loaded the cargo from the FLNG, located 475 km North East of Broome in Western Australia.

“Today’s first shipment of LNG departed from Prelude FLNG, safely,” Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas and New Energies Director, said.

The shipment aboard the 173,400 cbm tanker is headed to customers in Asia, where it is scheduled to arrive in late June, according to data provided by Marine Traffic.

Prelude’s first cargo had been scheduled for 2018, however, it was delayed amid a number of teething problems the company experienced with the 490-metre long FLNG.

“The first cargo was more than eight years after FID and nearly two years after the facility arrived in Australia,” Daniel Toleman, Wood Mackenzie senior analyst, said.

“How fast Prelude delivers its second and third cargo, and ramps up to plateau output will be a key indicator of success.”

The latest development marks the end of a USD 200 billion LNG boom in Australia over the past decade, during which eight LNG plants were built on the country’s eastern and northwestern coasts, Reuters informed.

Prelude is jointly owned by Shell, Japan’s Inpex Corp , Korea Gas Corp and Overseas Petroleum and Investment Corp, a unit of Taiwan’s CPC Corp.