Poland's Orlen to open LNG trading hub in Singapore, resume Qatari shipments

GDANSK, Poland, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Poland's largest energy group Orlen PKN.WA will open a liquefied natural gas trading office in Singapore in the first quarter of 2027, Orlen's vice president said on Tuesday, adding it was resuming Qatari gas shipments next month.

The Singapore hub will operate under the group's London-based Orlen LNG Trading division and allow it to perform near round-the-clock global trading. It will also give Orlen a direct foothold in Asia, a region that accounts for the majority of global LNG demand.

"We are thinking about new markets. We are fighting for new markets," Vice President Robert Soszynski said at a press conference, as quoted by Polish Press Agency PAP.

He also said Orlen expected to receive the first LNG shipment under its Qatari contract in mid-November, following a hiatus caused by the Iran war.

Qatari deliveries were suspended after QatarEnergy declared force majeure in March following Iranian drone attacks on its LNG facilities in the industrial hubs of Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. The disruption was compounded by the effective halt in tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for Qatari LNG exports.

Orlen's supplies are also set to grow from other sources, with deliveries from Venture Global's VG.N Plaquemines terminal in Louisiana due to start in early November.

The Polish group has already delivered six LNG cargoes to Asian markets, including China, South Korea and Thailand, using its fleet of eight gas carriers.

It earlier signed a contract with Osaka Gas 9532.T covering 100 million cubic metres (3.5 billion cubic feet) of natural gas and made its first LNG delivery to Japan in September 2025.