200th LNG cargo to leave country

THE 200th liquefied natural gas cargo will leave the country on the Spirit of Hela in what is seen as another milestone in the US$19 billion PNG LNG project.
ExxonMobil PNG Ltd said in a statement yesterday that the second custom-built vessel Kumul “safely completed loading of its first cargo at the PNG LNG marine facilities in Port Moresby” on Wednesday.
The Kumul, recently named in a ceremony in China, is a 172,000-cubic metre, 290-metre-long LNG carrier.
It is on a long-term charter with ExxonMobil PNG, the operator of the PNG LNG Project. It ships LNG to the major customers in Asia.
Managing director Andrew Barry said:  “We could not be more excited about the arrival of the Kumul, the second of the custom-built ships to load its first cargo which will be delivered to Sinopec.
“We are also delighted that the 200th cargo for PNG LNG will be loaded onto the Spirit of Hela a few days later.
“These two milestones further underpin our already strong reputation for safely and reliably delivering LNG to our customers.”
The Kumul is owned by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd and East China LNG Shipping Investment Co Ltd.   Mitsui will operate the ship on behalf of the PNG LNG venture and deliver cargoes under the direction of ExxonMobil PNG Limited.
In 2011, Exxon Mobil Corporation and Mitsui selected Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Company Limited, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, to build two LNG carriers in China for the PNG LNG project.
The first of the ships to be built was the Papua which commenced service last February.