US Cameron LNG loadings delayed after first cargo exported

LONDON: Loadings of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from Sempra Energy's $10 billion Cameron export terminal in Louisiana are delayed after first cargo from the project was exported last month to start-up operations.

At least two commissioning cargoes, one for France's Total and another for Spain's Repsol, were delayed, according to industry sources and shiptracking data.

Sempra told Reuters last week that commissioning was going fine, but market sources said the plant has problems that are causing delays.

The plant has cooling system issues, one of the sources added.

Loading is now expected to resume in early July, two industry sources said.

Repsol, which hired the Shinshu Maru vessel from Novatek to load a Cameron cargo, has returned the ship back to Novatek, the two sources added. A third source said Novatek is agreeing a different charter for the vessel.

The Shinshu Maru was waiting in the Gulf of Mexico and was initially scheduled to load a cargo on June 8, which was later pushed out to June 19, shiptracking data showed. It left the gulf without a cargo on June 17.

Total's BW Everett is still waiting in the US Gulf.

The Diamond Gas Sakura has arrived in the Gulf of Mexico to load a cargo for Mitsubishi and is signalling Cameron as destination on July 10.

Feedgas into Cameron dropped to zero on June 3, after rising to 580 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day before the loading of the first cargo. It was at around 100 mmcf/day on Thursday.

First cargo from the plant was loaded by Mitsui & Co Ltd in late May and was delivered to France this week.

There are three liquefaction trains at Cameron. The first started producing LNG in mid-May. Sempra has said it expects Cameron 2 and 3 will enter service in the first and second quarters of 2020.

Cameron is jointly owned by affiliates of Sempra, Total SA, Mitsui, and Japan LNG Investment LLC, a company jointly owned by Mitsubishi Corp and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) . Sempra indirectly owns 50.2% of Cameron.