Norwegian LNG cargo bound for Gate

OREANDA-NEWS. The 140,000m³ Arctic Voyager is bound for the Netherland's 8.7mn t/yr Gate terminal where it is expected to arrive on 17 April.

The vessel sailed from Norway's 4.2mn t/yr Snohvit liquefaction plant on 11 April, five days after the 155,000m³ Arctic Aurora departed with a cargo for Brazil. Snohvit has loaded one cargo every five days so far this month, slightly quicker than the first-quarter average rate of one cargo every six days.

The cargo will be the second delivered to Gate this month, after the 147,200m³ Arctic Princess arrived with a Qatari cargo on 3 April, likely a backhaul charter operation.

Gate sendout has quickened in 2015, particularly this month, as receipts have increased. Sendout rose to 9.04mn m³/d on 1-12 April from 3.78mn m³/d in March and if maintained over the rest of the month would be the highest since the terminal was commissioned in September 2011. Regasification had increased to 3.61mn m³/d in the first quarter from 0.73mn m³/d a year earlier.

The Arctic Voyager's delivery will be Gate's seventh so far this year taking receipts to 1.14mn m³ of LNG, judging by vessel size. Three tankers containing up to 432,400m³ delivered to the terminal in January-April 2014 and just one vessel with up to 217,000m³ a year earlier.

The higher receipts this year have partly been driven by more LNG arriving from Norway. The Arctic Voyager's cargo will be Gate's fourth from Snohvit so far in 2015 compared with four over the whole of 2014. The terminal received seven Norwegian cargoes in 2012, but imports fell in 2013. Weaker spot demand from buyers in northeast Asia and South America and higher production capacity in the Pacific basin has reduced demand for Norwegian cargoes outside Europe this year.

Gate has also re-exported three full-sized cargoes so far this year, up from two partial cargoes a year earlier.

Norway has exported 19 LNG cargoes so far in 2015, with 13 going to European terminals and six further afield — two to Asia and four to Latin America. Snohvit loaded the same number of cargoes a year earlier, but only 10 were sent to Europe, two were delivered to Asia and seven to Latin America.

Meanwhile the 140,000m³ Arctic Discoverer, which left Snohvit laden on 28 March has set a course for Spain's 12.4mn t/yr Barcelona terminal, where it is due to arrive on 20 April. The vessel spent 10 days at anchor near Skagen before declaring Barcelona as its final destination. Barcelona is set to receive a cargo of 140,000m³ on 20 April according to Spanish system operator Enagas. In the month-opening plan published in late March, the terminal was set to receive a 130,000m³ cargo on 20 April, and a further medium-sized cargo has also since been added to the schedule, boosting Barcelona's expected receipts this month to 543,000m³ from 487,000m³.