By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistan LNG Ltd. issued a tender on Wednesday for two liquefied natural gas cargoes to be delivered to Port Qasim in Karachi later this month, the latest effort by the state-owned importer to secure spot supplies amid persistent global shipping disruptions.
The company invited international suppliers to bid for the cargoes on a delivered-ex-ship basis, with the first scheduled for May 12-14 and the second for May 24-26, according to the official tender document. Each cargo is sized at 140,000 cubic meters.
Pakistan LNG Ltd., known as PLL, is the government’s designated buyer of LNG on the international market. Incorporated under the Pakistan Companies Ordinance 1984, it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Government Holdings Private Ltd. and falls under the oversight of the Ministry of Energy’s Petroleum Division. Its mandate covers the full LNG value chain — importing, buying, storing, regasifying, transporting and selling the fuel to end users across Pakistan.
The tender follows a similar spot procurement exercise last month, when PLL sought three cargoes for April and May delivery windows. That process drew four bids from international suppliers, the company said at the time. The fresh tender comes against a backdrop of supply-route disruptions that have triggered power load-shedding in parts of the country.
In a separate development, Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR has indicated it is prepared to supply LNG to Pakistan under a framework agreement reached in 2025. The pact allows for expedited spot purchases through SOCAR Trading, potentially offering Islamabad an additional source of supply. PLL’s procurement activity underscores Pakistan’s reliance on spot-market LNG to supplement long-term contracts and help ease chronic energy shortfalls. The company handles both the import of LNG and the subsequent sale of regasified gas to power plants, industries and distribution companies, effectively managing the end-to-end supply chain for the fuel.
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