Qatargas and Shell send first Qatargas 4 cargo to India

Qatargas and Shell today announced that the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Qatargas 4 Project (70% Qatar Petroleum, and 30% Shell) has loaded. The cargo is en route to Hazira receiving terminal in India.

Qatargas, the company who pioneered the LNG Industry in Qatar, now has a production capacity of 42 mtpa of LNG, from its seven trains. This makes it the world’s largest LNG producer.

Commenting on this achievement, His Excellency Dr Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry for the State of Qatar & Chairman of the Board of Qatargas said: “Qatargas adds to the energy diversity of Asia, Europe and North America. The company continues to demonstrate its commitment to assisting in the diversification and the long-term mix of the world’s energy supplies. I am delighted with the significant accomplishment of the first load-out from Qatargas 4 to India, which has significant potential as a market for LNG.”

Qatargas’ CEO Khalid Al-Thani added that: “Qatargas now has long-term agreements to supply countries in all four corners of the world. Our continued commitment is to supply our customers’ energy needs safely and reliably over the years ahead. We are most thankful to His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry for the State of Qatar, whose guidance and direction has helped us achieve this remarkable milestone.”

“Qatargas 4 represents another step in Shell’s strategy of bringing natural gas, the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, to new and existing markets,” said Peter Voser, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell plc. “It also strengthens our position as the leading international oil company in the LNG industry. We look forward to working closely together over the years ahead to create value for the State of Qatar and Shell.”

Andy Brown, Shell’s Executive Vice President, said: “Qatargas 4 opened up new markets for Qatari LNG in China and Dubai with agreements signed in 2008, and continues to look for further opportunities. It is therefore fitting that its first cargo should go to India, a market with significant potential for LNG. We are committed to working with Qatar Petroleum and Qatargas in delivering LNG to markets that require stable and reliable energy supply.”

Qatargas operates the new Qatargas 4 project on behalf of its owners, Qatar Petroleum (70%) and Shell (30%).

The cargo sailed on the LNG carrier Al Ruwais, one of the new class of Q-Flex vessels owned by Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat).


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1. Qatargas 4 was built in parallel with the identical Qatargas 3 project by a single team. The two projects share offshore, storage and other infrastructure and are also operated together, leading to synergies and greater efficiency.

2. The upstream infrastructure consists of three unmanned platforms, up to 33 wells and two subsea pipelines, all of which are complete and are shared with Qatargas 3. Qatargas 4 produces 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of gas a day, delivering 7.8 million tonnes per annum of LNG and 70,000 barrels per day of condensate and liquefied petroleum gas.

3. The LNG Qatargas 4 produces will be transported to market via a fleet of eight ships, each with a capacity in the range of 210,000 – 266,000 cubic metres, operated by Nakilat with the support of STASCO.

4. The Hazira regasification plant (Shell 74%, Total 26%) in Gujarat, north-west India, supplies LNG to customers in northern India.

5. India has significant potential as a market for LNG. Gujarat is one of the country’s biggest industrial hubs and fastest-growing states that leads the way in India in gas-fired power generation.