LNG
Overview
LNG's role as a key feedstock is well established as it helps manage both input costs and carbon emissions. Heavy industrial users' drive to achieve net zero targets has added a new dimension to how and where it is being deployed. Overall, its use is expected to increase and is tipped to become the strongest-growing fossil fuel.
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China’s CNOOC gets record gas results from Bohai well
China’s CNOOC gets record gas results from Bohai well
Singapore, 17 July (Argus) — Chinese state-controlled oil firm CNOOC has achieved what it described as record gas production results from a test well at its Longkou 7-1 (LK7-1) oil and gas field in the eastern region of China's Bohai Sea. The LK7-1-1 exploration well could produce almost 1mn m³/d of natural gas and about 210m³/d (1,320 b/d) of crude oil, the company said on 15 July. The former set a record for natural gas tested productivity in the Bohai Sea, according to CNOOC. China produced 123.6bn m³ of natural gas in January-June, up by 6pc from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS). The country produced 4.15mn b/d of crude in 2023, NBS data showed. The potential output adds to CNOOC's reserves and production in the Bohai Sea, which stood at 1.97mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) and 599,847 boe/d as of the end of 2023, according to CNOOC. The region represents 29pc of the company's total reserves and approximately 32pc of its production. CNOOC, along with other state-controlled firms like PetroChina and Sinopec, dominates China's domestic oil and gas production. CNOOC has also separately started production at an oilfield offshore China. The Wushi 23-5 oilfield development project — located in the Beibu Gulf of the South China Sea — is expected to produce light crude, and achieve peak production of 18,100 boe/d in 2026. "The project will realise full-process recovery and utilisation of the associated gas through integrated natural gas treatment," the company said on 1 July. CNOOC in November 2023 started production at its Bozhong 19-6 condensate gas field in the Bohai bay. The gas field is currently producing an estimated 37,500 boe/d, exceeding an initial expectation of peak production of about 37,000 boe/d, the company said on 11 July. CNOOC in March 2023 discovered the Bozhong 26-6 field with over 100mn t of oil equivalent reserves, also in the Bohai Sea. By Joey Chan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan’s Imabari delivers LNG-fuelled car carrier
Japan’s Imabari delivers LNG-fuelled car carrier
Tokyo, 16 July (Argus) — Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding delivered an LNG-fuelled car carrier this month to domestic shipping company Mitsui OSK Line (Mol), as Mol targets 90 LNG or methanol-fuelled ships in its fleet by 2030. Imabari supplied on 12 July the Turquoise Ace with capacity for 7,000 cars. It is designed to consume boil-off gas generated within the vessel's fuel LNG tank, expected to curb carbon dioxide emissions by 25-30pc, sulphur oxide emissions by almost 100pc and nitrogen oxide emissions by 80-90pc. The ship was built by Imabari's group company Tadotsu Shipyard in west Japan's Kagawa prefecture. Mol is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050 by boosting the number of its LNG- and methanol-fuelled vessels. The firm has commissioned another LNG-fuelled car carrier the Cerulean Ace with capacity for 7,050 cars, while it plans to charter an LNG-fuelled bulk carrier for utility Kansai Electric Power to deliver coal to Kansai's Maizuru power complex in 2026. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Polish gas reforms still needed: Energy Traders Europe
Polish gas reforms still needed: Energy Traders Europe
London, 15 July (Argus) — Recent government plans to amend Poland's onerous gas storage legislation are positive, but more serious reforms are necessary to foster increased competition, industry association Energy Traders Europe told Argus . The Polish government last month said it plans to amend the Act on Stocks in November , removing importers' obligation to maintain mandatory gas storage reserves and placing it on state-owned strategic reserves agency Rars instead. Energy Traders Europe welcomed the move but recommended several further steps to bolster competition and liquidity. The Act on Stocks "needs to be revised first and fast" before addressing other issues in the market, the association's gas market manager, Pawel Lont, told Argus . While shifting the obligation to Rars is a positive first step, Poland would still have "state-enforced storage filling with hardly any capacity left for commercial use", which removes an important flexibility source for the market, he said. Ultimately, storage needs to be reformed to a point at which commercial filling becomes not only possible but desired, Lont said. The government needs to ensure that the system provides an incentive for the storage operator to offer products that are attractive to users, Lont said, noting that currently "this incentive simply does not exist, and this set-up can only inflate the costs of gas consumption in Poland". Energy Traders Europe previously suggested that the strategic reserve should be calculated against the demand of vulnerable customers only, as opposed to all consumers, which would significantly reduce the overall burden and free up space for commercial use. It would also be desirable to move the start date of the draft storage legislation to 1 April 2025 and ensure that licence applications declaring the intention to start commercial activity after this date are tested for compliance with these new rules. It can take a year or more for licence applications to be approved, so "the sooner we start, the better", Lont said, adding that the licensing procedure in Poland is "undoubtedly the most problematic in all of Europe". Applications involve a long list of documents that are difficult to complete in a timely manner. There are also issues on the reporting side, with "an impressive list of 20+ positions reported to different bodies at different points in time" on top of standard EU reporting, Lont said. These obligations create exposure and considerable costs for companies, so it would be beneficial to run a critical review on their necessity, he said. And Polish transmission tariffs are high, although this is understandable given Gaz-System's construction of interconnectors with several neighbouring countries over the past few years. Polish tariffs are decided yearly, while entry/exit splits can also be adjusted, which is problematic for trading companies that would like to book longer-term products. The multipliers and seasonal factors "definitely deserve some rethinking as they severely inflate the costs of short-term capacity products, while booking yearly products in Poland can be quite a bet", he said. But even if these other issues are addressed, "We will [still] be looking at a largely monopolised country, with the dominant player having exclusive access to LNG terminals", Lont said. While the gas release programme is positive for the market, it would be beneficial to see whether Orlen's dominance could be challenged at import terminals. Orlen has booked all capacity at the Swinoujscie terminal, as well as at the planned Gdansk terminal, meaning it continues to be the sole beneficiary of the 100pc discount on entry to the grid from LNG terminals. Several measures could be taken to open other companies' access to the terminals, such as secondary capacity trading, use-it-or-lose-it rules or set-aside rules and limits when allocating capacity to a single entity, Lont said. But these measures would be ineffectual without a guarantee that other firms are ready and willing to book this capacity, so the reforms discussed above need to come first so as to ensure that these participants can actively trade in Poland beforehand, Lont said. In general, it is not unusual to have a dominant company in a given country, but "one just needs an environment in which the group cannot abuse its position and its offer can be challenged", he said. Orlen had a 91pc share of the Polish retail market last year, according to regulator URE. Poland has "all the cards" to develop a liquid gas market, but this takes time, so reforms must get going as soon as possible. Since the change of government, it has at least become "much easier to approach the ministries in Poland", which "helps a great deal on the transparency side", Lont said. By Brendan A'Hearn Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Singapore LNG bunker sales post fresh highs in June
Singapore LNG bunker sales post fresh highs in June
Singapore, 15 July (Argus) — Demand for alternative marine fuels rose further in June at the port of Singapore, with LNG demand for bunkering touching fresh highs. Total bunker sales in June rose by 8.7pc from a year earlier to 4.27mn t, according to preliminary data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), lifted by a 2.7pc increase in vessel throughput in Singapore to around 10.11mn in June. But sales slipped by 11pc from a strong May. "It is [lower] LNG prices versus fuel oil prices, along with higher fuel demand, due to the longer passage through the Cape, [and] that is playing an important role," said a key Singapore-based LNG bunker supplier, referring to the increased demand from the rerouting of vessels because of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea region. Demand for bunkering LNG has increased this year, with Singapore recording 175,030t of LNG used to fuel ships in the first half of this year. This is more than a threefold increase from the same period last year when 36,900t of LNG was bunkered in Singapore. Demand for biofuel blends in the first half increased by 46.7pc versus the same period last year. January-June sales were 280,160t compared with 191,000t a year earlier. The blend of 76pc very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and 24pc used cooking oil methyl ester, also known as B24, has been the first choice of alternative fuel among shipowners in Singapore, partly because of its drop-in character. Increased enquiries emerged for B24 in Singapore since April-May this year, with short-term tenders going to key shipowners planning voyages to Europe. "There are customers taking more volumes in H2 2024. Volumes wise [for the year, this] might not see a huge increase [but we] will just see more customers," said an international trader. Consumption of conventional bunker fuels has remained largely steady in Singapore, with the exception of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) where sales for June rose by 26pc compared with a year earlier to 1.56mn t. There was a 29pc increase for January-June this year against the 2023 equivalent. Firmer demand has continued for lower priced HSFO, particularly for vessel owners hoping to maximise the use of installed exhaust scrubber systems in handling alternative marine fuels. VLSFO consumption was down by 2pc in the first six months of 2024 versus the same period in 2023, with overall demand largely unchanged. Supplies have been higher in Singapore from this year's second quarter, which is expected to remain in the short term, said industry participants. Red Sea diversions Singapore has absorbed 40pc of the increased demand created by the Red Sea disruptions, data from the International Bunker Industry Association show. Demand in Singapore rose to 4.62mn t/month in this year's first quarter from 4.23mn t/month in 2023. Container terminals in Singapore were congested in the first half of the year because of Red Sea voyage rerouting. Container throughput at the city-state grew by 6.4pc from a year earlier in the first half of 2024 to 20.25mn 20ft equivalent units (TEUs) by June, according to the MPA. Singapore in May recorded a 7.7pc year-on-year increase to 16.9mn TEUs, said Singapore's transport minister Chee Hong Tat. Tonne-mile demand for tanker vessels is expected to grow this year. Greek crude tanker owner Okeanis Eco Tankers forecasts tonne-mile demand to grow by 5.6pc in 2024 and by a further 5.5pc in 2025. By Cassia Teo, Sean Zhuang and Mahua Chakravarty Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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