A tanker vessel belonging to Maersk has earned the recognition for being the first vessel to transport condensate cargo from Australia.
What happened?
From April 2018, the LR2 tanker ‘Maersk Princess’ has become the maiden vessel to transport condensate cargo from the Chevron-operated Wheatstone project in Western Australia. The cargo was transported to South East Asia, having discharged in Nipah, Indonesia and Map Tha Put in Thailand during March.
Largest development project
The Wheatstone project deemed as Australia’s first national gas hub is one of the largest resource development projects in the country. It comprises of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per year and a domestic gas plant. The first lifting of condensate – a light form of oil that is often a by-product of natural gas production and is mostly used for making vehicle fuel, such as gasoline – has now been exported.
Kristian Jasper, Head of LR2 and Aframax Chartering said, “Choosing a Maersk Tankers vessel for transporting the first ever condensate lifting from the project signals the trust there is in Maersk Tankers and in the reliability of our services”.
Strict safety measures
The tanker loaded the cargo at the Wheatstone LNG terminal at the end of February after going through operations and safety screening process.
Robin Lim, Charterer at Maersk Tankers said, “The terminal has stringent safety standards. It took three weeks until the vessel had clearance for the terminal. Usually, these things are settled within two days. This shows the specific nature of the terminal and the high requirements for vessels calling at Wheatstone”.
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Source: Maersk Tankers
