Venture Global LNG has announced its plans to acquire a fleet of nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport vessels, expanding its ability to sell and ship its own cargoes, according to Reuters.

Venture Global has exported hundreds of cargoes since it started liquefying gas for export in 2022 from the first of its three planned facilities in Louisiana. The vessels it used were owned by other companies and leased.

The nine vessels in Venture Global’s future fleet will be built in South Korea, with the first one expected to be delivered later this year.

The company has shipped more than 250 cargoes under its own account from the first plant, called Calcasieu Pass.

This has sparked complaints from energy companies holding long-term contracts with Venture Global, who argue that the sales should have been made available to them.

Venture Global says despite the shipments, the Calcasieu Pass plant has yet to start full commercial operations due to equipment malfunctions. Its contracts allow it to decide when the plant is fully operational.

The company hopes to complete the commissioning of the plant by the end of the year, CEO Mike Sabel told reporters gathered at Venture Global’s Houston offices on Sunday. Repairs were going well, he said.

The plant does not have redundant power systems and the potential for outages has kept it from moving to commercial operation, he said.

However some energy companies, including BP, Shell, Edison, Repsol, Galp Energia, Unipec, and Orlen, have initiated arbitration proceedings against Venture Global and have pressed federal regulators to allow them to view confidential documents on the plant’s startup.

The shipping fleet, along with a deal Venture Global has for the long-term use of an import terminal to regasify its cargoes in Europe, would give the company a bigger role in the global supply chain for its LNG, the company said.

The company is also planning to expand its operations with a second phase of the Calcasieu Pass plant, which could start producing LNG in 2026 pending regulatory approval. This phase will have a capacity to produce 20 million metric tons per annum (mtpa), most of which has already been sold through 20-year sales and purchase agreements. Sabel also mentioned that the first two production trains at the plant could be completed within 10 months.

Additionally, Venture Global is also planning another LNG project in Plaquemines, Louisiana. Once completed, this project will give the company more capacity than major players like Shell, BP, and Exxon.

Despite its rapid growth, Venture Global does not expect to sell 100% of its future liquefaction capacity. The company plans to trade the excess capacity, giving it more flexibility in the market.

Notably, if the recent pause by the US government on approving new LNG projects becomes permanent, Sabel stated that the company will look for opportunities to develop liquefaction facilities outside the US.

A recent fall in LNG prices is driving higher demand for cargoes from Europe, he added.

Sabel also said the company was not interested in any mergers nor partners since money was not a problem and the focus was on continued expansion.