Tanker Arrives for Sabine Pass’ First LNG Cargo

The liquefied natural gas tanker Asia Vision docked at Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana where it awaits to be loaded with the first gas shipment from the facility, Reuters reports.

The 2014-built 160,000 cum tanker finally arrived at the terminal in the morning hours on Sunday, as it was anchored off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico since December.

Cheniere recently said that the first shipment of gas should depart the facility by the end of February or the beginning of March after a number of delays, the latest one caused by instrumentation troubles discovered in the final phases of plant commissioning and cool down.

The first commissioning cargo was initially expected to occur by late January.

Reuters said that the Energy Atlantic LNG tanker, originally planned to carry the terminal’s first shipment, has also been idle off the coast since January where it remains.

Cheniere Partners is constructing natural gas liquefaction facilities at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal adjacent to the existing regasification facilities.

Up to six liquefaction trains should be constructed, each with a nominal production capacity of approximately 4.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG.

World Maritime News Staff