Pakistan LNG Limited successfully brought a massive transit vessel into Karachi to secure the national power grid after sudden delivery cancellations from Qatar.
An emergency liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo bought from the international spot market arrived at Port Qasim on Saturday. According to officials, state-owned Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) quickly bought this shipment to fill a major fuel gap. Industry experts stated that this delivery brought positive news for the energy security of the country during peak summer demand.
Officials said that two regular LNG cargoes from Qatar Energy were previously cancelled under emergency legal clauses. Regional tensions forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which completely blocked the Qatari shipments.
Port officials stated that failing to get this gas during the current severe heatwave would have shut down power generation and caused massive electricity blackouts across the nation.
High Risk Docking in Monsoon Storms
The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) confirmed that the vessel successfully berthed despite active monsoon storms and dangerous sea conditions.
According to a PQA spokesperson, the operations team had to guide the massive ship through a tight 49-kilometer-long water channel. Despite the bad weather, they successfully docked the ship just before the crowded port closed.
Massive Cargo Breaks Port Records
The transit ship is named ‘SK Resolute,’ and it sailed under the Panama flag from the United States. According to official port logs, the vessel arrived carrying nearly 172,000 cubic meters of LNG.
Port officials noted that the vessel features a 48-meter width, known as a beam. This huge size officially makes it the widest single LNG carrier handled at the terminal to date during the monsoon season.
Officials stated that the successful offloading immediately stabilized the national transmission system to keep factories running and homes cool.
