A liquefied natural gas vessel at Lyusi Port in Qidong, Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

In the first quarter of this year, Lyusi Port in Qidong, Nantong received over 340,000 metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG), surpassing the total volume for the entire year of 2023 by 27.57 percent.

Due to the high risks associated with LNG vessels, maritime authorities have been closely monitoring and prioritizing services for such vessels. Since the beginning of the year, the Nantong Maritime Safety Bureau has employed various regulatory measures and collaborated with port inspection departments to optimize services. They have established green channels to facilitate efficient port inspection procedures for LNG vessels and ensure the safe transportation of the critical energy.

As the first privately-owned LNG receiving station in China, Guanghui Energy's LNG receiving station in Lyusi Port currently has six LNG storage tanks with a total capacity of 820,000 cubic meters. Since its inception in 2017, the station has offloaded LNG from 150 vessels, receiving a total of 8.22 million tons of liquefied natural gas.