On 24 October, Qatargas delivered the first cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s (CNOOC) Zhuhai LNG terminal located in the Guangdong province. The cargo arrived aboard the Q-Flex LNG vessel Al-Gattara and will be used to commission the latest addition to the growing list of LNG terminals CNOOC owns and operates across China.

Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatargas’ Chief Executive Officer said:

“This is an important milestone for Qatargas. We are very pleased that LNG from Qatar continues to contribute towards meeting the growing demand for energy in the People’s Republic of China. This achievement highlights Qatargas’ capability to supply LNG to customers around the globe safely and reliably. This delivery will further strengthen the relationship between both companies over the long-term.”

He further stated that:

“Under the guidance of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry of the State of Qatar and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatargas, Qatari LNG has a key role to play in contributing to countries around the world in improving their diversity of energy supplies. The commissioning of CNOOC’s Zhuhai LNG terminal will meet the growing demand for energy in the People’s Republic of China, and we at Qatargas are very proud to have played a contributing role.”

Qatargas and CNOOC have an existing Sales and Purchase Agreement signed in 2008 for the supply of a total of 2 million tonnes per annum (MTA) of LNG. The first delivery of LNG from Qatar to China with CNOOC was made in October 2009.

Qatargas is the world’s largest LNG producing company with a production capacity of 42 MTA. The State of Qatar, as the world’s leading LNG producer, anticipates that the People’s Republic of China will become one of the world’s largest gas markets.

The Zhuhai LNG terminal, located in China’s Guangdong province, will have a first phase receiving capacity of 3.5 MTA adding to CNOOC’s other operating LNG terminals in Guangdong, Shanghai, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces thus maintaining its position as China’s largest LNG importer.