The SS Louisiana, shown here anchored at Lake Charles, La., was chartered early last year by National Gas Shipping Co. Ltd. of Abu Dhabi and began shipments of LNG in July from Das Island to terminals in Belgium and France. The tanker is owned by Lachmar, a partnership of Panhandle Eastern Corp. subsidiaries. Trunkline LNG Co., another Panhandle Eastern subsidiary, operates the Lake Charles terminal which in 1994 received all waterborne shipments of LNG to the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Panhandle Eastern Corp., Houston)
Worldwide LNG shipments by ocean-going vessels in 1994 increased to 1,619 voyages, according to an LNG shipping industry statistical annual.
LNG Log 20 published the recently compiled 1994 data in the last quarter of 1995. The publication is from the Society of International Gas Tanker & Terminal Operators Ltd., London.
The year's total was 8.8% more than for 1993 and the most in 35 years of records. The trips were made and the vessels loaded and discharged without report of serious safety or environmental incident, says the publication.
Of the voyages completed during the year, 596 were to European receiving terminals (up 2.8% over 1993), and 1,003 went to the Far East (an increase of 10.7%); shipments to the U.S., however, dropped to 20, from 32 in 1993.
Table 1 (16780 bytes) shows that the 1,619 voyages represent 3.6 million nautical miles logged by 78 vessels active during the year. These ships pumped ashore record annual volumes of approximately 144.3 million cu m of LNG, 110.1 million cu m (76.3%) of which went to Far Eastern customers.
Table 2 (36709 bytes) summarizes containment systems in use in 1994 and since LNG began to be shipped in 1959.
Fleet growth
The world's 78-vessel fleet was another record established during 1994 (up from 71 in 1993), says LNG Log 20, and more vessels are under construction or planned.
The fleet will grow over the next 2-3 years by 23 vessels currently being built or on order. And 3 others have been ordered for the Qatar project, 1 each from Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Kawasaki. These have split construction of vessels for several Japanese projects, says the annual.
Vessels making their initial appearance in 1994 in the LNG trade were Dwiputra, LNG Vesta, Puteri Intan, Hyundai Utopia, Al Khaznah, Shahamah, and LNG Port Harcourt.
All were newly built, except for the LNG Port Harcourt. This vessel was delivered in 1977 as Nestor by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and has been laid up, primarily in Loch Striven, a Scottish loch reached from the River Clyde near Rothesay. The vessel is equipped with the Gaz Transport containment system.
Of the other vessels, all are fitted with Kvaerner-Moss spheres except for Puteri Intan, which has the latest version of the Gaz Transport system. Hyundai Utopia is the first of the Korean-built vessels; two more were to be delivered in 1995 and a fourth this year.
In addition to these maiden voyages, says LNG Log 20, Methane Polar made her first trips under that name for new owner British Gas plc. She had been Polar Alaska in longtime employment between Nikiski and Negishi.
Along with vessels being built or planned, some remain idle. LNG Lagos, sister of LNG Port Harcourt, has yet to make her maiden cargo-carrying voyage.
Notable among laid up ships are the three American-flagged carriers-Southern, Arzew, and Gamma-built for El Paso by Newport News.
The Burmah fleet (operated by Energy Transportation Corp.) leads in volume of LNG delivered, with approximately 375.7 million cu m landed on a total of 2,014 voyages, or 22.6% of all LNG ever carried by ship.
Charters for six of the present eight-ship Burmah fleet have been extended to 2011. LNG Aquarius and LNG Aries, it appears, will not run in this service after 2000. The vessels will likely be used only out of the Bontang loading terminal from that year, says LNG Log 20.
The difference in distance from Bontang and Arun to the Japanese terminals will apparently reduce the number of vessels required from eight to six.
New terminal; routes
Table 3 (52934 bytes) breaks out the world's LNG liquefaction and loading terminals along with world market areas receiving shipments.
LNG Log 20 reports that, since 1959, Algerian terminals have loaded 8,196 cargoes of LNG; Indonesian terminals, 4,681.
Indonesian terminals have sent out more LNG: more than 562 million cu m to Algeria's 444 million cu m. Arun has loaded 290.3 million cu m, Bontang 271.8 million cu m.
A new LNG-receiving terminal opened in the second half of 1994 at Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey. The terminal is located on the north side of the Sea of Marmara about 48 nautical miles west of Istanbul.
Five cargoes of Algerian LNG were transported from Bethioua to Marmara Ereglisi by Bachir Chihani on what LNG Log 20 says will be the vessel's regularly assigned route.
The Marmara Ereglisi terminal will handle 1.5 million metric tons/year (mty) for Botas, Turkish State pipeline agency, over a contract life of 20 years. Estimates are that between 16 and 18 deliveries/year will be made by Bachir Chihani or fleetmates.
To gain access from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the terminal, says LNG Log 20, LNG carriers must negotiate the Canakkale Bogazi, a narrow 40-mile stretch of water also known as the Dardanelles.
In addition to the new Turkish route, LNG was carried from Withnell Bay, Australia, to Barcelona; Methane Arctic and Methane Polar each made one trip via the Suez Canal.
Three new routes were established in the Far East. The five voyages made by LNG Port Harcourt during 1994 between Lumut, Brunei, and Pyeong Taek, South Korea, represent the first instance in which gas from Brunei has been shipped to any receiving terminal other than Senboku, Sodegaura, and Negishi, Japan.
In addition, the 1994 cargoes between Lumut and Pyeong Taek by LNG Port Harcourt marks the first time that an LNG carrier other than the seven Brunei-flagged vessels has loaded at Lumut.
In fact, with the exception of a single ad-hoc trip by Gari (now Bekulan) from Bintulu to Sodegaura in 1983, the seven Brunei carriers have loaded at Lumut exclusively.
The second new route in the Far East was from Bintulu to Higashi-Niigata, Japan, over which Tenaga Satu carried one cargo. Tenaga Satu and her four sisters operate regularly from Bintulu, but a majority of the LNG landed at Higashi-Niigata originated in Arun, Indonesia.
The third new Far Eastern route was Arun to Shin Oita, (Japan) over which there was a single voyage by LNG Aquarius. Shin Oita, located in the northeastern part of Kyushu near the city of Beppu, is regularly served by the North West Shelf vessels.
The number of possible routes combining all the liquefaction plants and all the receiving terminals serving the Far East is 105, with the number of Far Eastern routes traversed by the end of 1995 approaching 50, says LNG Log 20, including some ad-hoc cargoes.
Launches, commissionings
The Petronas fleet continues to grow.
The first vessel, Puteri Intan ("Diamond Princess") was delivered by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in August 1994 and completed six trips before the end of the year over routes Bintulu/Sodegaura, Bintulu/Futtsu, and Bintulu/Pyeong Taek.
The next vessel, Puteri Delima ("Emerald Princess"), was turned over to the owners at the end of 1994. The launching of Hull G30, to be called Puteri Nilam, occurred in April 1994.
Puteri Zamrud ("Ruby Princess") was launched in June 1995 and will be delivered in July 1996. It is likely that the last ship (Hull I30) will be named "Pearl Princess" or "Jade Princess," says LNG Long 20.
Progress also continues in both Japan and Finland on vessels to be operated from Abu Dhabi by National Gas Shipping Co. Ltd. From Japan, two ships were delivered in 1994, Al Khaznah and Shahamah, the former from Mitsui and the latter from Kawasaki.
The third ship, Gasha (Mitsui Hull 1,392) was launched in February 1994 and delivered in May 1995. The fourth and last vessel, Ish was launched in September 1994 at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki yard and was to be delivered in late 1995.
Finnish ships will follow the completion of the last vessel from Japan. Mabaraz (Kvaerner Masa's Hull 1,330) was launched in March 1995.
As stated, the first Korean-built LNG carrier, Hyundai Utopia, was handed over by Hyundai Heavy Industries in June 1994. The second, YK Sovereign, was delivered by Hanjin to Yukong Line in December 1994, while the third, Hanjin Pyeong Taek, was due to be delivered in September 1995.
LNG Log 20 notes that an interesting launch occurred in June 1995 at Sestri Cantiere Navale at Genova-Sestri, a yard wholly owned by Fincantieri. The Sestri yard (then known as Italcantieri S.p.A.) was the birthplace of three of the four Esso LNG carriers a quarter century ago.
On this occasion, the ship was SNAM Portovenere, a 65,000 cu m vessel that will be equipped with the Gaz Transport containment system.
She perpetuates the name of Esso Portovenere, a member of the Esso quartet and broken up following her last voyages in 1983. A berth has been reserved at the yard for a sister vessel.
Copyright 1996 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
