BP to ship first LNG cargo through Panama Canal: ACP

OREANDA-NEWS. June 29, 2016. BP will ship the first LNG cargo through the expanded Panama Canal aboard the 138,000m3 British Merchant tanker late next month, with a cargo originating in Trinidad and Tobago, according to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).

BP declined to comment.

The BP-owned tanker has yet to declare a destination, but The Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) said the vessel is bound for Chile.

Chile's 15mn m3/d Quintero terminal is scheduled to receive one spot cargo in July, in addition to four contract cargoes from long-term supplier BG. Alternative destinations could be in northeast Asia-Pacific.

Panama inaugurated a third set of locks on 26 June, enabling larger vessels, including LNG tankers, to traverse the strategic Atlantic-Pacific route for the first time.