The Maran Gas Delphi is expected to land at the Dominion Energy Inc. Cove Point terminal on Dec. 14, according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com.
A source familiar with the terminal said the tanker is filled with LNG and will unload at the Cove Point import terminal. The LNG export facility at the same Lusby, Md., site will soon export its first cargo of LNG, becoming the second major liquefaction and export facility in the Lower 48.
Shell NA LNG has a deal for LNG produced during the commissioning process, which Dominion has said it expects to complete by year-end. The same source said the first export is expected in January.
After commissioning, the Dominion unit will produce LNG for GAIL (India) Ltd. and a joint venture between Sumitomo Corp. and Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd.
Dominion Energy Cove Point LNG LP in November received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to start exporting commissioning cargoes. The company on Dec. 5 introduced feed gas to the facility, though SNL Energy pipeline data has not shown any noteworthy changes in gas flows to the terminal in the past weeks.
A single liquefaction train at the facility will be able to produce 5.25 million tonnes per annum of LNG, or roughly 0.8 Bcf/d.