Qatargas delivers first Q-Max LNG cargo to Thailand’s Map Ta Phut terminal

Qatargas has delivered the first Q-Max cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Kingdom of Thailand’s Map Ta Phut LNG receiving terminal.

The delivery arrived on board the Q-Max LNG vessel, Bu Samra, and is part of a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) signed between Qatargas’ Qatar Liquefied Gas Company – 3 (Qatargas 3) and Thailand’s state-owned PTT Public Company in December 2012.

Since the startup of the Map Ta Phut terminal in 2011, the current Q-Max vessel is the first to arrive.

Once the LNG receiving terminal began operations, Qatargas delivered the first commissioning cargo.

Since then, PTT received around nine million tonnes of LNG, mostly through Q-Flex vessels, from Qatargas.

The SPA agreement ensures the delivery of two million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG to PTT for a period of 20 years, starting from 2015. 

The agreement is claimed to be the first long-term one in South-East Asia, through which Qatargas intends to increase growth potential in the region.

The Map Ta Phut LNG receiving terminal in Thailand can receive both Q-Flex and Q-Max vessels.

With a carrying capacity of up to 266,000m³ of LNG, Q-Max vessels are 80% larger than the conventional LNG vessels.

Qatargas operates a chartered fleet of 13 Q-Max vessels meant to transport LNG from Qatargas plants in Ras Laffan to other global markets.

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Image: Q-Max cargo to Thailand. Photo: courtesy of Qatargas Operating Company.