First February LNG cargo heads to Milford Haven

UK LNG receipts will probably quicken in early February, with the 210,100m³ Al Khattiya expected at a Milford Haven terminal around 2 February.

The LNG tanker was sailing through the Suez canal this morning with a Qatari cargo. Al Khattiya has previously delivered to Milford Haven's 15.6mn t/yr South Hook terminal. It would arrive at around 2 February, based on recent sailing speeds.

If the Al Khattiya arrives on 2 February it would be three days after the 261,700m³ Al Samriya, which is expected at South Hook on 30 January.

The interval between cargoes has been shorter at the end of the month after two nine-day gaps between deliveries in the middle of January. South Hook is scheduled to receive five cargoes this month, or one every 6.2 days.

South Hook stocks were 247,000m³ this morning, or 35pc of capacity. Sendout would need to be 18.4mn m³/d on 26 January-1 February to accommodate full cargoes from the Al Khattiya — if it delivers to South Hook rather than the 4.4mn t/yr Dragon terminal, also at Milford Haven — the Al Samriya and the 266,000m³ Zarga, which docked at the terminal today. Sendout was 22mn m³/d early this afternoon.

Stocks at Dragon, were 226,000m³ this morning, or 74pc capacity. If the Al Khattiya unloads at Dragon, the terminal's sendout would need to ramp up considerably over the next week to accommodate a full cargo. Dragon's sendout has been mostly boil-off since early November.