The JV announced late on Wednesday the loading and departure of its first LNG export cargo from the terminal in Sabine Pass, Texas.
This follows the arrival of the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier Al Qaiyyah, chartered by QatarEnergy, on Monday.
Golden Pass did not reveal the final destination of the first LNG export shipment.
Al Qaiyyah’s AIS data shows on Thursday that the vessel was heading to the Fuxys-operated Zeebrugge LNG terminal in Belgium, where it is expected to arrive in approximately two weeks.
The LNG carrier may change its destination in the meantime.
“Today’s first LNG export cargo is a defining moment for Golden Pass, our workforce, the community, and the nation,” said Alex Savva, president and CEO of Golden Pass.
“As we advance toward full commercial operations, we are proud to have commenced supplying reliable US LNG to the global market.
Golden Pass LNG announced on March 30 that it has achieved first production of LNG from the first liquefaction train.
After that, Golden Pass LNG received approval from the US FERC to export commissioning cargoes.
The company said in the new statement that construction and commissioning continue on Trains 2 and 3, which are expected to come online in turn, following stable operation of Train 1.
18 mtpa
The LNG export terminal is the 10th such facility in the US.
It has three liquefaction trains with a total capacity of 18.1 million tons per year, five 155,000 cbm LNG storage tanks, and two marine berths to accommodate the world’s largest LNG carriers.
State-owned QatarEnergy, whose LNG and other facilities in Ras Laffan were attacked last month, owns a 70 percent stake in the Golden Pass project and will offtake 70 percent of the capacity, while US energy firm ExxonMobil has a 30 percent share.
A joint venture of Chiyoda, McDermott, and Zachry won the EPC contract to build the three Golden Pass trains worth about $10 billion next to the existing LNG import terminal in the vicinity of Sabine Pass, Texas.
However, Zachry Holdings said in May 2024 that it had filed for bankruptcy, initiating a structured exit from the Golden Pass LNG export project due to “financial challenges” related to the facility’s construction.
In November 2024, Japan’s Chiyoda and McDermott’s CB&I reached a deal with Golden Pass LNG to complete the construction of the first liquefaction train following the exit of Zachry.
Additionally, Chiyoda and McDermott signed a revised EPC contract with Golden Pass LNG in November 2025 to complete the construction of the second and third liquefaction units.
