[31/March/2012]

SANA'A, March 31 (Saba) - The Yemeni Liquefied Natural Gas company (LNG) has confirmed its production has been halted due to a sabotage act on the gas pipeline linked the block 18 to the Balhaf terminal on the Gulf of Aden.

In its statement, the company said the pipeline blew up at 10 pm on Friday in a desert area at 40 km north of Balhaf liquefaction plant. No one was injured in the explosion, the statement said.

It expected its losses to be limited to 4 cargoes as the LNG plant was due to shutdown on 15 April for annual maintenance.

The pipeline was blown up in mid-October 2011 and was re-repaired quickly.

In 2011, the LNG company exported 106 cargoes of liquefied natural gas. 60 % of the exports were headed for the Asian market, 25 % for the U.S. market and the rest was sent to the European markets.

The $4.5 billion LNG company opened in 2009 and was the largest industrial project ever carried out in Yemen.

AF
Saba