THE first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has set sail from a US$15 billion Texas export terminal, amplifying America's growing influence on the global market for the fuel.
LNG Jurojin departed Freeport LNG Development LP's facility on Tuesday, according to a statement from the company, making the terminal, 67 miles south of Houston, the fifth to ship super-chilled gas from US shale fields.
Royal Dutch Shell will take the first two deliveries from Freeport, according to a person familiar with the matter. The cargo is headed for the Jebel Ali terminal in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, ship-tracking data on Bloomberg show.
Since the first US LNG export terminal began operating in Louisiana in 2016, the nation has become the world's third-largest supplier of the fuel, sending gas to buyers as distant as Japan.
The start-up of Freeport has provided a key outlet for Texas production; helping to boost gas prices from 1990s-era seasonal lows.
America may surpass Qatar and Australia to become the biggest exporter by 2025, according to Morgan Stanley. But a global glut is threatening the derail the next wave of US LNG projects.
Freeport is seeking to build four LNG production units, or trains, with a capacity of more than 20 million tons per year, most of which is contracted under 20-year supply agreements. Train 1 was previously slated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2018, but was delayed amid contractor snags.
WORLD SHIPPING
LNG Jurojin departed Freeport LNG Development LP's facility on Tuesday, according to a statement from the company, making the terminal, 67 miles south of Houston, the fifth to ship super-chilled gas from US shale fields.
Royal Dutch Shell will take the first two deliveries from Freeport, according to a person familiar with the matter. The cargo is headed for the Jebel Ali terminal in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, ship-tracking data on Bloomberg show.
Since the first US LNG export terminal began operating in Louisiana in 2016, the nation has become the world's third-largest supplier of the fuel, sending gas to buyers as distant as Japan.
The start-up of Freeport has provided a key outlet for Texas production; helping to boost gas prices from 1990s-era seasonal lows.
America may surpass Qatar and Australia to become the biggest exporter by 2025, according to Morgan Stanley. But a global glut is threatening the derail the next wave of US LNG projects.
Freeport is seeking to build four LNG production units, or trains, with a capacity of more than 20 million tons per year, most of which is contracted under 20-year supply agreements. Train 1 was previously slated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2018, but was delayed amid contractor snags.
WORLD SHIPPING