A potentially vast export market for the United States opened this week when the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the US sailed into China.

The cargo of US gas arrived on Monday at the Chinese port of Yantian, in the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province. It came from the Sabine Pass export facility, in Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico, according to S&P Global Platts, a provider of energy and commodities information.

LNG is a clear, colorless and non-toxic liquid which is formed when natural gas is cooled to minus 126 C to make it easier to transport and store.