Mozambique sets first Rovuma LNG shipment for November 2022

The Mozambican government expects to see the departure of the first Mozambican natural gas export vessel from the northern Rovuma basin on November 1, 2022, a government source said on Tuesday.

The start of production on the floating platform in Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin is scheduled for June 1, 2022, and five months later “the departure of the first gas-filled cargo vessel should take place”, the source said.

The offshore natural gas deposits in the Rovuma Basin promise to place Mozambique on the list of the world’s leading exporters of liquid natural gas and boost the country’s economy. Two consortia are building exploration infrastructures in Areas 1 and 4 off Cabo Delgado, and the first to enter into activity will be the Area 4 consortium, led by Eni and Exxon Mobil.

The operation starts with a floating platform that will pump the gas from its wells into six tanks, there turning it into liquid for loading into freighters. The platform hull started construction in a Korean shipyard on Thursday, a date that will be marked with an official ceremony.

Other government predictions about the Area 4 platform include the expectation that the project will create 820 new direct and indirect jobs during its operation phase.

The Area 4 consortium is comprised of ExxonMobil, Eni and CNODC – the China National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Corporation, which jointly hold a 70% stake, with the three remaining 10% portions being held by the Korean company Kogas, Galp Energia and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH) of Mozambique.Source: Lusa