Several LNG carriers are congregating in the region of Venture Global LNG’s soon-to-start-up Plaquemines LNG plant.
LNG ship watchers are pointing to the 174,000-cbm Qogir (built 2020), which loaded a cargo at Norway Snohvit LNG plant on 6 August, as a candidate for delivering a commissioning cargo to the new liquefaction project.
Tracking data shows the Qogir is waiting just off the mouth of the Mississippi near the Plaquemines LNG facility in Louisiana.
Poten & Partners senior LNG analyst Sergio Chapa also pointed to Venture Global’s first delivered LNG carrier newbuilding, the 174,000-cbm Venture Gator (built 2024), as apparently in-bound towards the new facility.
Chapa speculates the vessel could be used to re-export a first cargo.
In July, the US Department of Energy granted Venture Global permission to re-export up to 6 Bcf of foreign-sourced LNG that the company plans to use for cooling its first liquefaction modules at Plaquemines. The developer said it may need at least three cargoes for these operations.
Venture Global is embroiled in legal challenges and rows with its offtakers after it refused to start supply under their sales-and-purchase agreements until its first plant, the 12m tonnes per annum Calcasieu Pass LNG, achieves commercial operations. The facility began operations in January 2022.
The company has indicated it will take 24 months to put this first 13.3 mtpa of its 20-mtpa Plaquemines plant into commercial operation.
In March, Venture Global said it had boosted its owned LNG carrier fleet to nine vessels.
The Samsung Heavy Industries-built Venture Gator is one of at least three LNG newbuildings the liquefaction developer bought from JP Morgan interests for about $270m each.
The company has already contracted five LNG newbuildings at Hanwha Ocean, including three 200,000-cbm vessels. But has not clarified from where it has acquired the other four ships.
“The Venture Gator and progressively the fleet’s other eight ships will commence serving our global partners in Europe and Asia beginning this fall,” the company said.
Venture Global is constructing or developing an additional 60 mtpa of production capacity in Louisiana.
