Arun LNG tanker arrives on schedule

The planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from Arun to Japan is positive to be on schedule after the LNG tanker Wakaba Maru arrived late Tuesday in the Arun port, spokesman of the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina Sidick A. Nitikusuma.

He said that the LNG shipment would be made on August 18 as scheduled.

There has been rumors earlier that the LNG shipment from Arun might be delayed because ExxonMobil had not yet given a green light for the tanker to move to Arun amid remaining concern over security in the troubled Aceh province.

Arun LNG supply to overseas customers had been disrupted after ExxonMobil Indonesian unit in Aceh halted production amid security problem. ExxonMobil provides Arun with the natural gas raw material.

Arun is scheduled to start its first cargo LNG shipment to Japan on August 18, after Exxon resumes operation last month. The buyer of the first LNG shipment would be Tepco.

One cargo contains 57,000 tons of LNG.(Alex/Godang)