GDF Suez-controlled Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG terminal in France is now able to accept Q-Max sized LNG carriers.
Pierre Cotin, vice president of strategy at GDF Suez terminal arm Elengy, said modifications made at the facility last year mean the 260,000-cbm ships can now unload at Montoir, according to Bloomberg.
But Cotin, who was speaking at a conference in France, said: “I’ve not been asked for further slots for unloading one.”
The Elengy VP said Montoir’s recently announced re-export capabilities may be a cost-effective way of supplying Mediterranean islands in the future.
He added that two LNG terminals in Marseille - Fos-Tonkin and Fos-Cavaou - are “technically” able to re-load the fuel from storage tanks and are waiting to receive government permits in the next few weeks or months.
Elsewhere today GDF Suez Global Gas & LNG executive vice-president Jean-Marie Dauger said in a results briefing that the company’s fleet of 18 LNG carriers is “well-optimised”.
Dauger said GDF Suez is always looking for short-term shipping capacity in the market but admitted that there is little of this available right now due to the tight tonnage situation.
He forecast that the shipping market will “quickly bounce back” due to the large number of LNG newbuildings that are due for delivery.
“I would say that long term, we're set and in short term we would like to have a little bit more capacity that we could tap into but the market is really tight right now. Within two years, the market should change.”
Overall GDF Suez Gerard chairman and chief executive Gerard Mestrallet said LNG as a business grew well in 2011 with external sales rising by about 30%. Of 48 cargo deliveries, 25 went to the Asian market.
He said the company has shifted the focus of its LNG business towards the Asia Pacific region, signing contracts with China, Korea, Malaysia and India totaling 8 million tonnes per annum and is in discussions with other buyers.
