Shell ships Italy-bound LNG cargo from Egyptian plant

Based on a social media post by Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, LNG tanker New Nature left the Idku LNG plant carrying a cargo of 155,000 cubic meters destined for Italy.

As explained by the Ministry, exporting this cargo is in line with its strategy to encourage international partners to increase investments necessary to bolster gas exploration and domestic production.

This strategy is credited with speeding up the development of phases 10 and 11 of the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) project in the Mediterranean Sea, to boost natural gas output dedicated for export.

The WDDM concession is located approximately 90 kilometers offshore Egypt, on the northwestern part of the Nile Delta. It is operated by Shell and its joint venture company, Burullus.

Shell recently reached a final investment decision (FID) to develop the Mina West discovery, which will be developed as a subsea tie-back to the existing WDDM infrastructure.

The North African country has been bustling with offshore activity lately. Last week, QatarEnergy inked a deal to acquire a 27% interest in the Shell-operated North Cleopatra block. The other participating interest holders are Chevron and Tharwa Petroleum Company.

In addition to this, BP picked the Valaris DS-12 drillship for a five-well assignment in the Mediterranean Sea. Announced last month, the campaign is designed to accelerate the development and production of gas reserves, using existing production facilities in the West Nile Delta.