Page 11 - GLNG Week 13 2021

GLNG AFRICA GLNG

Suez reopens as Ever Given is refloated

PERFORMANCE THE Chinese container ship Ever Given, which Netherlands-based Smit Salvage carried out
had blocked the Suez Canal for the past week, work to refloat and straighten Ever Given, with
has been refloated, allowing hundreds of waiting CEO Peter Berdowski saying: “The time pres-
vessels to begin using the waterway. sure to complete this operation was evident and
Speaking to reporters on March 29, Suez Canal unprecedented.”
Authority (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie said
that the backlog of 422 ships could be cleared Impact
within three and a half days. While the global supply chain fallout of the
The 400-metre-long Ever Given became canal’s blockage has yet to be calculated, its effect
lodged diagonally across the canal south of on oil prices was short-lived, with gains lost amid
the Great Bitter Lake because of high winds on uncertainty about the direction of this week’s
March 23. OPEC+ meeting.
Following the vessel’s refloating, Taiwan’s However, the logjam caused import-depend-
Evergreen Line, which is leasing the container- ent Syria to begin fuel rationing, as the country
ship, said it would be inspected for seaworthi- had already been facing oil shortages. Prior to
ness, with decisions about its cargo to follow once the blockage, Syrian fuel prices had already risen
investigations into the incident were completed. by more than 50% in mid-March, with previous
SCA’s Rabie noted: “The ship was ready for shipments from Iran having been targeted by
limited navigation after an initial inspection and Israeli forces.
not a single container was damaged, but a second Syria’s Oil Ministry said that “the ministry is
investigation will be more precise and if it was rationing the distribution of available oil prod-
affected it will show.” He added: “Strong winds ucts” with a tanker carrying fuel from Iran held
and weather factors were not the main reasons up in the backlog. Oil Minister Bassam Tomeh
for the ship’s grounding; there may have been said that the cargo had been expected to arrive
technical or human errors.” at the port of Baniyas on March 26.™

AMERICAS

NFE agrees to supply two plants

in Baja California Sur with LNG

PROJECTS & US-BASED New Fortress Energy (NFE) is slated Wes Edens, the chairman and CEO of NFE,
COMPANIES to provide LNG to two thermal power plants described the supply agreement as an economic
(TPPs) in Mexico under a new supply agree- and environmental boon for Mexico. “We are
ment with CFEnergia SA de CV, a subsidiary of pleased to support CFE’s transition to cleaner,
that country’s Federal Electricity Commission more affordable and reliable energy,” he was
(CFE). quoted as saying in the company statement.
In a statement dated March 29, NFE “This contract will help create significant fuel
explained that it had agreed to deliver the equiv- savings and emissions reductions for the benefit
alent of 250,000-500,000 gallons (20,000-40,000 of the people of Baja California Sur.”
mmBtu) per day of LNG to the plants, which are According to previous reports, NFE’s Pichi-
known as CTG La Paz and CTG Baja California. lingue terminal will allow Baja California Sur to
This is equivalent to about 424-848 tonnes per begin making use of natural gas for power gen-
day of LNG, or 154,760-309,520 tonnes per year eration. The facility will be able to supply gas to
(tpy). Both of these facilities are located in the an on-site TPP with a capacity of 105 MW, and it
Mexican state of Baja California Sur, it noted. will also have a truck terminal capable of loading
NFE did not reveal the terms or the value of LNG into tankers for delivery to local hotels and
the deal. But it did say that it expected to sup- industrial consumers.
ply natural gas to the power stations via a new Once the terminal is able to start regasifying
LNG import and regasification terminal now LNG for CTG La Paz and CTG Baja California,
under construction in Pichilingue, a port in these power plants will be able to stop burning
Baja California Sur. The facility is scheduled to residual fuel oil, which generates more pollution
be completed and ready to begin receiving LNG than gas.™
shipments in May, the company noted.

Week 13 01•April•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P11