Kuwait Petroleum’s unit KIPIC said it has received the first commissioning cargo at its new LNG import terminal in the Al-Zour area.
KIPIC said the LNG shipment arrived on Monday but it did not provide any additional information.
Nakilat’s 217,000-cbm Q-Flex LNG carrier Al Kharsaah delivered the cargo from Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex, according to its AIS data. The vessel serves a charter with LNG producing giant Qatargas.
Kuwait Petroleum formed KIPIC in 2016 to manage refinery, petrochemicals and LNG import operations in the giant Al-Zour complex.
The Al-Zour complex and the LNG import terminal are located some 90 kilometers south of the capital Kuwait City.
A South Korean consortium consisting of Hyundai E&C, Hyundai Engineering and Kogas built the $3 billion 22 mtpa terminal.
The complex includes a regasification facility but also eight 225,000-cbm LNG storage tanks. This makes it one of the largest LNG import terminals in the world.
The start of the terminal has been delayed as KIPIC previously expected to launch the facility in 2020.
Moreover, Greece’s gas grid operator DESFA said in December it had secured a five-year contract from KIPIC to maintain and operate the LNG import facility.