Basrah Gas Company exports its first semi-refrigerated liquefied gas shipment
An LPG tanker being loaded with liquefied petroleum gas in Umm Qasr Port. Photo: BGC
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced on Monday that Basrah Gas Company (BGC) exported its first shipment of semi-refrigerated liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through the port of Umm Qasr.
“It is a historic moment that Basrah Gas Company exports its first shipment of semi-refrigerated liquefied petroleum gas and it is considered a great achievement,” BGC’s managing director, Malcolm Mayes, said in a statement.
Mayes elaborated that the achievement is a result of the continuous hard work to achieve the strategic goal by equipping the port of Umm Qasr with the necessary chiller units to be used in export operations.
“We are now able to load and export both pressurised and semi-refrigerated gas through vessels,” Mayes explained.
BGC’s managing director confirmed that this step gives them flexibility and the opportunity to triple their exports to the world through tankers.
“We will have access to many international markets which exclusively purchase semi-refrigerated gas shipments,” Mayes stated.
BGC is a 25-year joint venture between Iraq’s South Gas Company, which holds 51 percent of its shares, Shell (44 percent) and Mitsubishi Corporation (5 percent). The company helped transform Iraq from an importer to an exporter of liquefied petroleum gas in 2016, creating a new revenue stream for the country, according to The National News.