Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, has successfully shipped a liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from its Portovaya LNG plant on the Baltic Sea to Spain for the first time, as indicated by LSEG data. Unlike other Russian hydrocarbons like crude oil, LNG has not been subjected to Western sanctions, allowing for uninterrupted trade in this sector. The LNG cargo was loaded onto the tanker Cool Rover via a ship-to-ship transfer from the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Marshal Vasilevskiy and was delivered to the Enagas LNG terminal in the Spanish port of Huelva. This milestone marks Gazprom’s entry into the Spanish LNG market, expanding its reach beyond traditional European pipeline gas exports, which have faced challenges in recent years. With Europe’s gas exports from Russia declining significantly, Gazprom has shifted focus to LNG exports, leveraging the capabilities of the Portovaya LNG plant with an annual capacity of 1.5 million metric tons. While most LNG shipments from the facility have been directed to Turkey and Greece, with a few to China, the successful delivery to Spain signifies a new chapter in Gazprom’s LNG trade diversification strategy.
Gazprom Ships First LNG Cargo from Portovaya Plant to Spain