Qatargas delivers first LNG cargo to Netherlands

The liquefied natural gas carrier "Al Samriya" berthed Wednesday at Gate terminal, the Netherlands. The "Al Samriya" is third LNG carrier that delivers its commissioning cargo for Gate LNG project after the arrival of the British Trader and the "Arctic Voyager. Prior to the start of commercial operations of Gate terminal in September 2011, the installations will be tested extensively for several months. In the first phase of this so called commissioning period, the tanks and pipelines are cooled down to -162 degrees Celsius. That is the temperature of the liquefied natural gas which will be supplied by LNG-carriers, stored in the three tanks at the terminal and then be supplied to the Dutch transmission network. The development of Gate terminal has been on schedule since the start of the construction in 2008. Gate terminal expects to start commercial operations in September 2011. The throughput capacity of the terminal will be 12 billion m3 of natural gas per year. Gate terminal is the first LNG terminal built in the Netherlands and will deliver an important contribution to the security of supply of gas in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. Through this terminal, the Netherlands is connected to gas flows from around the world, which will further strengthen the position of the Netherlands as gas roundabout in Europe. Qatar, the world's largest exporter of LNG, can now produce up to 77 million tonnes of super-cooled gas a year. Qatargas agreed to supply Malaysia's Petronas LNG Ltd 1.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually for at least 20 years from 2013. The LNG supply from Qatar would be equivalent to about 5 percent of Malaysia's current annual domestic natural gas demand.