Outlook for the Middle East

Since the commissioning of Trains 1 and 2 at the Das Island 1 LNG terminal (the UAE) in 1977, the construction of liquefaction terminals in the Middle East has been mainly focused in Qatar, starting with the construction of Train 1 at Qatargas 1 in Ras Laffan. Following the first cargo shipment from this facility in December 1996, Qatar has gradually increased its LNG export capacity from 2 million tpy to its current output capacity of 77 million tpy – making Qatar the world’s largest exporter of LNG. Other countries, such as Yemen and Oman, also contribute to the region’s export capacity. However, with the former having declared force majeure on its Total-operated Yemen LNG facility a number of times in the last couple of years, this has restricted its ability to operate to its full potential.