The FSRU-based LNG import facility in the Dutch port of Eemshaven, owned by Gasunie and Vopak, has received its 100th shipment since its launch in September 2022.
EemsEnergyTerminal, the operator of the terminal, said that the 100th LNG carrier has docked at the 170,000-cbm FSRU Energos Igloo on June 11.
The vessel in question is the 2019-built 180,000-cbm LNG carrier, Prism Brilliance, owned by SK Shipping.
According to its AIS data provided by VesselsValue, the LNG carrier delivered the milestone cargo to the facility in the Dutch port operated by Groningen Seaport from the Freeport LNG export terminal in the US.
The Eeemshaven LNG hub consists of two chartered floating storage and regasification units- Energos Igloo, owned by Energos Infrastucture, and the 26,000-cbm barge-based FSRU Eemshaven LNG, owned by Exmar.
The terminal has a capacity of 8 billion cubic meters and supplies natural gas to capacity holders UK-based Shell, Czech utility CEZ, and France’s Engie.
Shell booked 4 bcm per year of the capacity, CEZ reserved 3 bcm per year, and Engie booked the rest.
First Dutch FSRU terminal
The Eemshaven facility is the first FSRU-based terminal in the Netherlands and the second LNG import terminal in the country after Gate.
The Gate LNG import terminal in the port of Rotterdam, also operated by Gasunie and Vopak, and the Eemshaven hub mostly receive LNG cargoes from the US.
In September 2022, the Eemshaven terminal received its first LNG cargo from the US onboard the Shell-chartered 173,000-cbm Murex LNG carrier.
The terminal started delivering regasified LNG to the Dutch grid in a record time during the same month, but the facility did not deliver gas to the grid during two periods since the launch due to maintenance and the unavailability of the heat connection.
Dutch gas grid operator Gasunie said in March last year it completed all the planned work at the terminal and signed a deal in April with compatriot storage firm Vopak to sell 50 percent of the LNG hub. The partners completed the deal in December last year.
Gasunie told LNG Prime in January this year that the Eemshaven LNG terminal has received 12 cargoes in 2022 and 68 LNG cargoes in 2023.
This means that the facility has received 20 LNG cargoes in 2024 up to date.
Gasunie also said that EemsEnergyTerminal is now able to achieve 9 bcm per year due to ‘technical optimization’ of the existing installations, including debottlenecking.