India's Gail Receives First US LNG Shipment

India’s Gail March 30 received the maiden LNG shipment from US that had left from Cheniere Energy's LNG export facility at Sabine Pass LNG project, Louisiana March 5.

The cargo arrived at Gail’s Dabhol terminal on Meridian Spirit vessel, Gail said on social networking site Twitter. Gail chairman BC Tripathi said that it is a matter of great satisfaction that Gail’s own LNG ship has berthed at its own terminal.

Indian oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on the occasion that Dabhol has become a new energy gateway of India with the arrival of the first LNG cargo from the US.

The US company will supply about 3.5mn mt/yr of LNG for 20 years to India’s biggest gas marketing firm under a deal signed December 2011.

On March 27, Russian producer Novatek announced that the first cargo of LNG from its plant on the Yamal Peninsula, northern Russia, had reached India, but did not say who the buyer was.