Darwin LNG begins shipments on the Kool Blizzard with its first cargo

Ship-tracking data revealed that the Darwin liquefied gas plant (DLNG), operated by Australian oil producer?Santos since restarting operations, had exported its first shipment. The shipment is currently heading to Sakai in Japan.

Darwin LNG stopped shipments at the end of 2023, as its previous gas supply, the Bayu Undan Field in the Timor Sea was running out. The Barossa project, owned by Santos and SK E&S and JERA, is now supplying the plant with natural gas.

The Kool Blizzard, a tanker that left the Darwin LNG facility in Australia's Northern Territory (Australia) on January 25th, picked up the first cargo after the restart.

Kpler data indicates that the tanker is expected to arrive at Sakai in Japan on 1 February, but the buyer is not yet known.

Santos originally planned to ship its first Darwin 'LNG' cargo from Barossa at the end of 2025. However, repairs to the piping system slowed the progress.

Kevin Gallagher, chief?executive of Santos, said in a statement on the company's fourth-quarter results last week that Barossa and its Pikka project in Alaska will boost Australia's oil and gas production by 25-30% by 2027 as compared to levels in 2024. (Reporting and editing by Rashmi aich; Emily Chow)

(source: Reuters)