Qatargas has delivered its first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargo under a new long-term supply agreement with the Pakistan State Oil Company (PSO), according to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).
The cargo was loaded onto Al Gattara, a chartered Qatargas LNG Vessel, which is owned and operated by Nakilat.
The vessel left Ras Laffan, Qatar on February 26 to mark the inaugural Q-Flex delivery to Pakistan.
In April 2015, Qatargas delivered the first commissioning cargo to PSO onboard the LNG vessel Excelerate Exquisite, a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessel, which is currently moored at the Engro LNG terminal in Port Qasim, and is Pakistan’s first LNG import terminal.
“This is a significant milestone for Qatargas as we celebrate the first LNG cargo to Pakistan on a Qatargas vessel under the long term agreement,” Qatargas chief executive officer Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani said.
“PSO is an important new customer for Qatargas and we are very pleased that the first Q-Flex cargo has been safely delivered,” Al-Thani said.
Qatargas made preparations in conjunction with Nakilat and the Port Qasim Authority (PQA). Preparations included the development of new procedures for Q-Flex vessels and required the support of Master Mariners from Qatargas, the PQA Pilots.
Qatar and Pakistan in February signed a long-term natural gas deal, as part of which Qatargas will supply PSO with up to 3.75mn tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year for 15 years.
As part of the deal, which has been valued at a total of $16bn, Qatar is to meet about 20% of the energy-starved South Asian country’s gas requirements, and the first cargo is expected to dock at a Pakistani port as early as this month.
