Qatar’s state-run Qatargas says it has agreed to sell 1.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually to Malaysia, locking in its first major customer in Southeast Asia

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The company says it signed a preliminary agreement with Malaysia’s Petronas LNG on Sunday in the Qatari capital, Doha.

The supply deal is expected to start in 2013 and last for two decades. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Qatargas says the deal will satisfy about 5 percent of Malaysia’s natural gas needs. Qatargas CEO Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani says it’s the company’s first such deal in the region.

Qatar holds the world’s third largest natural gas reserves. It is the biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas, a supercooled form of the fuel transported on massive tanker ships.