First Tanker in 12 Days Sets Sail From Freeport LNG in Texas

Storage tanks and gas-chilling units are seen at Freeport LNG, the second largest exporter of U.S. liquified natural gas, near Freeport, Texas, U.S., February 11, 2023. Reuters/Arathy Somasekhar/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Freeport LNG, one of the largest U.S. liquefied natural gas export facilities, has suffered several outages this year with all processing units recently out of service, pressuring U.S. natural gas prices and adding to prices in Europe.

Tanker BW Pavilion Leeara was partially loaded when it left Freeport LNG's dock late Tuesday, vessel tracking data from financial firm LSEG showed. It was the first vessel to depart the Quintana, Texas, plant since April 11.

Pipeline gas flows were on track to reach .8 billion cubic feet (bcf), up from .1 bcf last Friday. Normal flow to the plant is about 2.2 billion to 2.4 billion cubic feet per day.