Golden Pass LNG project in Texas sends first cargo to Belgium’s Zeebrugge terminal in Freight News 25/04/2026 The first cargo exported by the Golden Pass LNG terminal signaled a destination of Belgium’s Zeebrugge LNG import terminal on April 23 as it was underway in the US Gulf Coast, S&P Global Commodities at Sea(opens in a new tab) data showed. Seven Atlantic-based LNG traders told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, that the cargo, loaded by Golden Pass majority owner QatarEnergy, could be used to make up for some of the supplies from the energy giant’s Ras Laffan facilities that were curtailed because of the war in the Middle East. Three market participants said Italy’s Eni was the likely buyer. The carrier, Al Qaiyyah, departed Golden Pass on April 22, marking a major milestone for the ninth major LNG export terminal in the US. CAS data showed the ship was expected to arrive at the Belgian regasification facility on May 8. QatarEnergy is historically the main supplier to Zeebrugge and remains the dominant capacity holder. Qatar had previously highlighted Belgium as one of two European countries directly affected by Iranian attacks on Qatari LNG facilities in March amid the ongoing conflict. Italy is the other European country that QatarEnergy said would be directly affected by the damage to its LNG infrastructure. The expected delivery of the Golden Pass cargo comes at a time when Atlantic LNG players have sold five prompt regasification slots on the secondary market, as DES LNG-TTF spreads remain “out of the money” for some Northwest European terminals, according to LNG traders. New US supply Golden Pass is owned 70% by QatarEnergy and 30% by ExxonMobil, with the companies independently marketing their shares of production. Eni, QatarEnergy and the joint venture entity developing Golden Pass did not immediately respond to requests for comment on April 23. ExxonMobil declined to comment on commercial details. QatarEnergy said in an April 23 statement that the export of the inaugural cargo was an important step toward full commercial and export operations. “This is a significant industry milestone that marks a new chapter in QatarEnergy’s global efforts to meet rising LNG demand and ensure reliable supplies to international markets,” QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi, who is also the Qatari energy minister, said in the statement. Iranian missile strikes in mid-March on QatarEnergy’s LNG facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City damaged two of the energy giant’s massive liquefaction trains, taking about 17% of the supplier’s export capacity offline for three to five years. The trains represent about 12.8 million metric tons/year of capacity. QatarEnergy said after the attacks that the damaged facilities would impact China, South Korea, Italy and Belgium and that the exporter would be compelled to declare force majeure for up to five years on some of its long-term contracts. Meanwhile, the war continues to constrain transits of the Strait of Hormuz, keeping global LNG spot prices elevated and volatile. The waterway normally accounts for about 20% of global LNG supply — primarily from Qatar. Three-train project The start of exports from the three-train Golden Pass project, which will be able to produce about 18.1 million mt/year, stands to offer some relief to the global LNG market. But the project would not come close to offsetting the more than 80 million mt/year that transited through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025. The Golden Pass owners d