CANBERRA: Australia’s east coast LNG export hub Gladstone saw shipments to China hit a fresh record high in July, data from the Gladstone Ports Corporation released Monday showed. China-bound exports from Gladstone, home to all of Australia’s east coast LNG exporters, totaled 1.04 million mt in July, up 1% from the previous high of 1.03 million mt in June and surging 63% year on year, the port data showed.
The port ships cargoes from the Origin-ConocoPhillips 9 million mt/year capacity Australia Pacific LNG or APLNG, the Santos-led 7.8 million mt/year Gladstone LNG or GLNG, and Shell’s 8.5 million mt/year Queensland Curtis LNG or QCLNG. All six trains across the three terminals have been up and running since APLNG brought its second train online last October. Its first train came online in January last year; QCLNG’s two began production in January and July 2015 and GLNG’s in October 2015 and June 2016, according to Platts Analytics. Total LNG exports from Gladstone stood at 1.68 million mt in July, down 2% from June but up 16% year on year, the port data showed. The highest monthly export volume to date was 1.75 million mt last December.
China has been increasing its consumption of pipeline gas and LNG imports this year in an effort to reduce air pollution by weaning itself off coal. The second largest recipient of LNG from Gladstone in July was Japan at 259,508 mt, up 32% month on month but down 4% year on year, the data showed. The port recorded its first LNG shipments to Hong Kong in July, at 71,996 mt, while Singapore was not sent any LNG from Gladstone in July for the second month running — after receiving an average 132,896 mt/month for the previous 17 months. India also did none receive any LNG from the port in July, compared with 54,249 mt in June. Malaysia was the only other destination for Gladstone LNG in July at 63,050 mt, unchanged from June and up 1% year on year, the data showed.
