Gasunie’s new LNG import hub in the Dutch port of Eemshaven will soon receive its first cargo of liquefied natural gas following the arrival of both chartered floating storage and regasification units.
To remind, New Fortress Energy’s 170,000-cbm Golar Igloo entered the Eemshaven port, operated by Groningen Seaports, on Sunday afternoon.
This large unit has now been joined by Exmar’s 26,000-cbm barge-based FSRU Eemshaven LNG.
The small FSRU arrived in Eemshaven under tow on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Gasunie told LNG Prime that the 173,000-cbm Murex LNG carrier would deliver the first cargo to EemsEnergyTerminal on Thursday.
The LNG carrier, owned by Seapeak and chartered by Shell, is expected to arrive on Thursday morning in Eemshaven.
According to its AIS data provided by VesselsValue, the LNG carrier previously picked up the cargo at Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG plant in Texas.
Dutch LNG imports to jump
Gasunie previously said it would hold an official ceremony to welcome the two FSRUs and the first LNG shipment on September 8, attended by officials from Gasunie, the Czech Prime Minister, and others.
The state-owned firm expects that the new hub would receive up to 18 LNG cargoes by December 31, while regasified LNG from Eemshaven should start flowing through its gas grid in mid-September.
EemsEnergyTerminal, the first FSRU-based facility in the Netherlands, is being prepared in record time as the Netherlands and other European countries such as Germany look to slash reliance on Russian pipeline gas and boost energy security.
LNG giant Shell booked 4 bcm while Czech firm ČEZ took 3 bcm of the terminal’s total capacity. France’s Engie secured the remaining 1 bcm of capacity.
The Eemshaven hub is the second LNG import facility in the Netherlands after the Gate terminal in Rotterdam, which is owned by Gasunie and Vopak.
With an expansion at the Gate terminal and the Eemshaven project, Dutch capacity will double from current 12 bcm to 24 bcm.
