A long-term LNG Services Agreement has been signed for the Zeebrugge LNG terminal at the Port of Zeebrugge.
Qatar Petroleum subsidiary Qatar Terminal Limited (QTL) and Fluxys Belgium subsidiary Fluxys LNG signed the agreement, under which QTL subscribes unloading slots at the facility from the expiry of the current long-term unloading contracts and up to 2044.
Pascal De Buck, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Fluxys Belgium, said the agreement was a “milestone” for Fluxys Belgium.
“This agreement further extends our long-standing cooperation with Qatari partners, secures long-term activity at the Zeebrugge terminal and further strengthens the facility’s position as a versatile LNG gateway into Europe offering customers optimum destination flexibility.
“Ample pipe gas take away capacity from the terminal is readily available for delivery throughout North-West Europe as well as a range of options for downstream small-scale LNG distribution."
Consistent LNG supply
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and president and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said the agreement “will further support our customers in Belgium and Europe in general, by providing them access to reliable LNG supplies from Qatar and allowing them to maximize the utilization of such supplies”.
He added: “Qatar Petroleum has long invested in and anchored LNG receiving terminal capacity in Europe, a key LNG market, as part of our supply destination portfolio diversification strategy. We continue to be committed to supporting the EU’s energy policies and to providing reliable energy supplies into Europe.”
During the first half of 2019, the number of ships docking at the Zeebrugge LNG terminal rose by 123% compared to the same period in 2018. Fluxys Belgium said it is also seeing a sharp increase in the number of LNG trucks loaded. A second truck loading station at the terminal came into full use earlier this year.
