Qatargas Q-Flex first loading in West Indies and round Cape Horn

This marks the first time that a Q-Flex has loaded liquefied natural gas outside of Ras Laffan City in Qatar, further demonstrating the flexibility of this class of vessel.

In this case the vessel was sub-chartered by Sempra LNG Shipping LLC and is being used by Sempra to carry a maintenance cargo of approximately 135,000 cubic metres to their Energia Costa Azul facility on the west coast of Mexico, near Ensenada.

During this voyage the Al Gharrafa will become the largest LNG carrier to ever transit around Cape Horn, the tip of South America.

Mr Abdallah Al Sulaiti, Qatargas Shipping Manager said:

"The Q-Flex and
Q-Max class of vessels are achieving a number of firsts for the industry. This is an exciting time for us as we commercially employ our chartered fleet and gain valuable experience in the lead up to the Train 4 coming online."

The vessel is expected to discharge in Mexico early September.

The successful loading of the cargo in Trinidad comes soon after her recent historic discharge of a cargo in the U.S.

Qatargas now has eight Q-Flex vessels carrying out commercial, cargo carrying operations.