China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), the country's leading offshore oil producer, has received its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, China Daily reported Tuesday.

The cargo of 216,000 cubic meters arrived at CNOOC's Dapeng LNG terminal in Shenzhen on Sunday. The terminal is about 45 km away from the downtown of the southern city, said the newspaper.

It comes under a long-term supply agreement signed between CNOOC and Qatar gas last June, under which Qatar would supply 2 million tonnes of LNG per annum for 25 years.

The first shipment serves as an important landmark in the energy cooperation between China and Qatar, the newspaper said, citing Fu Chengyu, chairman of the state-owned CNOOC.

The LNG from Qatar will be offloaded to other terminals of CNOOC, including the existing one in east China's Fujian province and the soon-to-be operational one in Shanghai, to serve the booming economy in coastal areas of eastern and southern China, according to Fu.

The deal value has not been disclosed yet, the newspaper said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2009)