State-owned PetroChina has reloaded the first cargo of liquefied natural gas at the Dalian LNG import terminal operated by PipeChina.
According to a statement by PetroChina International, the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier Mu Lan has loaded 65,000 tons of previously imported LNG at the Dalian terminal in Liaoning in Northeast China and set sail on October 31.
Hudong-Zhonghua delivered this LNG carrier to owner CSSC Shipping and charterer PetroChina in 2021.
PetroChina said this operation at the Dalian LNG terminal marks the start of the international LNG bonded reloading business, the first in northern China.
The firm said that the LNG import business at the Dalian port has faced “severe challenges” in recent years.
This move is expected to boost the terminal’s utilization.
Also, this opens new opportunities for PetroChina to further develop LNG trade in Northeast and Southeast Asia markets, it said.
The firm did not provide the destination of the reloaded cargo.
Reports in China suggest the shipment would be delivered to Thailand.
PipeChina’s LNG terminal management unit said in a separate statement it has previously obtained approvals for reloading and bonded storage at the Dalian LNG terminal.
Through the new offering, Dalian LNG provides a solution for its customers to carry out the re-export trade with Japan and South Korea, the southeastern coast of the country, and also the inland waterway end-users, it said.
Launched in 2011, the 6 mtpa Dalian LNG terminal has three storage tanks with a total capacity of 480,000 cbm, according to GIIGNL data.
