Mauritania exported about 603,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas in the third quarter of 2026, 16% more than a year earlier, according to data published on 19 October by the Energy Research Unit of the specialist website Attaqa.
Over the first nine months of the year, volumes reached nearly 1.97 million tonnes, compared with 823,000 tonnes over the same period of 2025. This 139% rise reflects the ramp-up of Grand Tortue Ahmeyim, whose first cargoes left the coast of Mauritania and Senegal in April 2025.
China received 152,000 tonnes in the third quarter and Bangladesh 135,000 tonnes. Italy imported 122,000 tonnes and Egypt 76,000 tonnes. The first two markets thus accounted for about 48% of Mauritanian shipments.
The monthly pace, however, slowed in September, with a 0.5% year-on-year decline, the first since exports began. The research unit puts September volumes at 189,000 tonnes, after 223,000 tonnes in August and 191,000 tonnes in July.
The GTA project is operated by BP with Kosmos Energy and the state-owned companies SMH and Petrosen. BP estimates the capacity of the first phase at about 2.3 million tonnes of LNG per year. The group had confirmed loading of the first cargo on 17 April 2025.