PM leaves for Baku today; LNG deal announced

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official two-day visit to Azerbaijan from Wednesday, a day after Pakistan issued two tenders seeking spot LNG cargoes for the first time in nearly a year, and also announced a deal that will see Baku supplying Islamabad with one LNG cargo every month. Pakistan LNG, a government subsidiary that procures LNG from the international market, has one tender seeking six cargoes on a delivered-ex-ship (DES) basis to Port Qasim in Karachi in October and December, according to the tenders posted online. The delivery windows are Oct 5-6, 20-21 and 31, and Dec 7-8, 13-14 and 24-25. The tender will close on June 20, Reuters reported. The other tender seeks three cargoes, also on a DES basis to Port Qasim, for delivery windows of Jan 3-4, 28-29 and Feb 23-24. The second tender closes on July 14. Pakistan LNG last issued a tender seeking 10 spot cargoes in July 2022, but it received no offers. Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to Azerbaijan from June 14 to 15 on the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev, the PM Office announced.