In a statement on Thursday, ExxonMobil touted its four decades of experience developing liquefied natural gas projects, and specifically the 6.9 million tonnes per annum PNG LNG, which came online in 2014 "on budget and ahead of schedule".

PNG LNG - the first project of its kind in the South-East Asian island nation - is now exceeding production design capacity, according to ExxonMobil.

InterOil's