Calcasieu Pass receives LNG carrier

The 174,000m³ Yiannis LNG carrier has arrived at the US' planned 10mn t/yr Calcasieu Pass liquefaction facility today, suggesting that the project's first loading could take place in the coming days.

The vessel arrived at Lousiana's Calcasieu Pass with a reported draft of 10m — slightly higher than the 9.7m reported when it has discharged in recent months but well below the vessel's 11.7m draft when fully loaded. This suggests that the vessel is at most near-empty, if not fully at ballast. Its last port of discharge was Japan's Kisarazu in late December, with the carrier then sailing to the US Gulf through the Suez Canal.

Calcasieu Pass is still waiting on regulatory approval to load its first cargo, having asked the US' Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on 4 February that permission be granted by 9 February.

By Samuel Good