GDF SUEZ celebrates LNG anniversary

GDF SUEZ has recently been celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the first commercial LNG delivery. The LNG was loaded at the Arzew plant in Algeria, and delivered to Gaz de France in Le Havre, France.

The Jules Verne LNG carrier performed this first LNG delivery, which marked the birth of the modern LNG industry.

A total of 690 cargoes have been delivered to Le Havre during the following 24 years.

Today three LNG regasification terminals in France (Montoir de Bretagne, Fos Tonkin and Fos Cavaou), operated by Elengy, subsidiary of GDF SUEZ, continue to receive LNG from Algeria and various other exporting countries. The partnership between Sonatrach and GDF SUEZ is the oldest commercial LNG chain, still active, in the world.

Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GDF SUEZ, said: “This 50^th anniversary of the first LNG delivery gives us the opportunity to recall the pioneer position of GDF SUEZ in the LNG industry, thanks to breakthrough technological innovations. Today, GDF SUEZ continues to be at the edge of innovation by adapting to the evolution of a global market full of promises and challenges.”

The Jules Verne LNG carrier was engineered to transport LNG in self-supported tanks by the Seine-Maritime Shipyards and Workshops. This technology has since been replaced by the cryogenic membrane technology developed and improved by GTT, a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ. This technology is used today on a large-scale basis by the world LNG tankers fleet.

Today, GDF SUEZ has the third largest LNG supply portfolio in the world, supplied from six different countries. It operates a large fleet of 14 LNG carriers under medium and long-term charter agreements.

Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/regasification/03042015/gdf-suez-celebrates-lng-anniversary-538/