Pearl GTL employees onboard the Atlantic Hope cheer following the first GTL shipment from the QP-Shell JV in Ras Laffan. Below: The Atlantic Hope reaching the Ras Laffan Port to load the first cargo from Pearl GTL. The Qatar Petroleum–Shell joint venture has sold its first commercial shipment of GTL Gasoil. The milestone also marks the start of production of gas-to-liquids products at its state-of-the-art plant at Ras Laffan. Over the coming months, production will ramp up from the first production unit (train) of the project. The second train is expected to start up before 2011 end. The plant is expected to reach full production capacity by mid- 2012 and is the largest energy project ever launched in Qatar. Once fully operational, Pearl GTL is expected to produce 1.6bn cu ft of gas per day from the North Field, which will be processed to deliver an expected 120,000 bpd of condensate, LPG and ethane and an expected 140,000 bpd of gas-to-liquids (GTL) products using Shell’s unique technological and project management capabilities. The Pearl GTL project was launched in July 2006 and the first stone was laid in February 2007 by HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. At the peak of construction at Pearl GTL, the project employed 52,000 workers.
