Gas Shipments News

As Iran's oil exports rise despite U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program, senators from both parties urged President Joe Biden to enable a federal government agency to seize Iranian oil and gas shipments.Senators Joni Ernst, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said in a letter to Biden that the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office has not been able to seize an Iranian oil shipment for more than a year.HSI's enforcement has been curtailed by policy limitations within the Department of Treasury's Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture…

The United States became the top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in the first half of 2022, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said, citing data from CEDIGAZ, as the country increased supply to Europe amid the Ukraine crisis.U.S. LNG exports rose 12% to average 11.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in the first half of the year compared with the second half of 2021, the EIA said. Increased LNG export capacity, higher prices, and demand, particularly from Europe…

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed on Thursday to settle their dispute over Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline but said they agreed that Moscow must not be allowed to use energy as a weapon to coerce its neighbors."Good friends can disagree," Biden told reporters after two meetings with Merkel at the White House, adding that both leaders had asked their teams to look at practical measures they could take together if Russia's actions posed a…

Rosatomflot (FSUE Atomflot), Russian company that maintains the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers, said that its nuclear icebreakers steered 331 ships of a total gross capacity 12.7 mln tons. As compared to 2017, the capacity of steered ships increased by 5 mln tons.The Rosatom group company said in a press release that with that, the number of steering operations decreased (last year it was 493 ships) due to completion of the active phase of construction in the port of Sabetta and reduction of flow of vessels carrying cargoes for construction.Besides, as liquefied natural gas shipments from Sabetta started by LNG tankers of Yamalmax class…

World coal seaborne trade grew 3.7 percent last year helped by higher output in India, Indonesia and Russia, Germany's VDKI coal importers lobby said on Friday.Imports and exports rose to 1.202 billion tonnes from 1.159 billion tonnes in 2017, VDKI Managing Director Franz-Josef Wodopia said in an speech made available to Reuters.Of the total, trade in steam coal used in power stations rose by 3.6 percent to 920 million tonnes.Trade in coking coal used for steelmaking rose by 4.4 percent to 281 million tonnes…

President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs. In recent years, Moscow has cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes with neighboring countries in winter months. Exports from the United States would help reduce their dependence on Russia. Trump will tell the group that Washington wants to help allies by making it as easy as possible for U.S.

Ports in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates' barred ships flying Qatari flags after the two countries broke off diplomatic ties with Doha, in a move that raised fears of disruption to oil and gas shipments from the Gulf OPEC member. The Saudi Ports Authority has notified shipping agents not to accept vessels flying Qatari flags or ships owned by Qatari companies or individuals, it said on its Twitter account on Monday, adding that Qatari goods would not be allowed to be unloaded in Saudi ports. "Vessels flying the flag of Qatar or vessels destined to or arriving from Qatar ports are not allowed to call on the Port of Fujairah or Fujairah Offshore Anchorage regardless of the nature of their call until further notice…

Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Group is not only one of the world’s largest ship owners with a diverse fleet of more than 800 ships, it is a growing global maritime logistics powerhouse. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News visited with Yasuo Tanaka, Senior Managing Corporate Officer, Naval Architect, in Tokyo for his insights on the company’s continued efforts to invest in operational efficiency. The story of NYK cannot start without a look at the numbers, because the numbers tell the story in a most impressive fashion.

Initial test runs through the expanded Panama Canal began Thursday as tugs led a bulk carrier into the first set of locks on the Atlantic side of the canal, AP reports. Chartered to perform the test operation is the 836-foot-long bulker Baroque, which is not as large as the New Panamax ships (measuring up to 1,200 feet) due to transit the waterway following its formal opening on June 26. The Malta-flagged Baroque wasn't carrying cargo on the first run through the Agua Clara locks.

The traffic developments through the Suez Canal showed the change in each type of transient and cargo ships, which gives an indication of the future of traffic in the canal, according to analysis conducted by Daily News Egypt. According to data, the contradiction between the low number of vessels and higher payloads shows a tendency to rely on bigger ships to save costs. The Suez Canal will have to cope with this development and maintain an appropriate depth to meet the requirements of these larger vessels. The Suez Canal succeeded in raising the number and tonnage of ships gradually over the past three years, with 16,596 vessels registered in 2013 at a total of 915.467m tonnes. In 2014, 17,148 ships transited the canal with a total of 962.748m tonnes.

BP's diversion of a tanker of liquefied natural gas (LNG) away from Egypt due to payment issues is the first sign that the country's currency crisis could be jeopardising its energy supplies, traders said. Earlier this month the tanker British Sapphire was diverted to Brazil rather than discharging in Egypt, with the delivery of the LNG cargo for Egypt delayed up until October, traders said. BP declined to comment. Egypt's state-owned EGAS was not available to comment. Egypt has been struggling to pay for U.S. dollar-priced oil products and LNG due to an acute foreign currency crisis, worsened by the Russian airliner disaster in October, which hit tourism revenue.

Nord Stream consortium, lead by Russian energy giant Gazprom, said on Wednesday it has stopped gas shipments via the Baltic Sea through one of its two lines as Swedish armed forces dispose of a munitions object found nearby. Total capacity of the two lines is 55 billion cubic metres per year. The consortium said a piece of munitions was found in close proximity to the Nord Stream Line 2 on Nov. "The location of the object is in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) approximately 120 km away from the island of Gotland," Nord Stream said. It added that it was not clear when the gas supplies via the line would be resumed. It said the Swedish armed forces were on site to "safely and professionally dispose of the munitions object".

Ukraine's NJSC Naftogaz signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S. Frontera Resources on the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. "U.S.-based Frontera will begin the construction of an LNG terminal and launch natural gas shipments to Ukraine through this terminal," Yatsenyuk said. He added that the project, which was launched in 2012 but suspended in 2013 due to inadequate investment, will allow Ukraine to import LNG from Georgia through the Black Sea. The construction of the 1.2-billion-U.S.-dollar LNG terminal, designed to have an annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of gas, is aimed at diversifying Ukraine's energy sources and reducing the country's dependence on gas imports from Russia.

The Saudi Arabian-led coalition of anti-Houthi forces attacking Yemen has tightened the blockade on Yemen's ports affecting shipping activity including the delivery and loading of oil and gas shipments. Ships are unlikely to be able to access ports in areas that the coalition deems to be under Houthi rebel control. Navigation in Yemen’s territorial waters has been banned and ships are not allowed into Yemen unless inspected and approval by the Saudi-led coalition forces. The Grace Acacia, a Bahamas-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker, was scheduled to load cargo at the Balhaf LNG terminal on Friday, but the loading has been delayed and the tanker is currently anchored at the Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates, a trader said.

Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak will intervene with Gazprom to raise reduced gas shipments to Slovakia to contracted levels, Slovakia's economy ministry said on Wednesday after bilateral talks in Moscow. Slovakia says natural gas flows to its national importer SPP have been reduced by up to 50 percent versus requested amounts since September 5, with Gazprom explaining the reduction by the need to fill up its storage. "Russia's energy minister made a public promise to (Slovak) Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis that he will personally intervene with the highest leadership of Gazprom to return supplies of gas for Slovakia to contracted levels because contract conditions need to be fulfilled," the ministry said in a statement.

Chile's state oil company ENAP has signed long-term deal with British Gas to import shale gas from the United States at the end of next year, local media reported. Shipments will leave from a U.S. port, Chilean Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco was quoted as saying on Monday in newspaper La Tercera's Tuesday edition. "Among the first gas shipments to leave from that port will be gas destined for Chile," Pacheco said. The deal's volumes and prices were not revealed. A press officer at the Energy Minister confirmed the information but did not give further details.

In the wake of announcements by the Federal Reserve about the need for more natural gas, Saipem Group, Single Buoy Moorings, Bluewater Offshore, Spectrum Energy Services, Hoegh LNG and Aker Kvaerner will discuss radically new concepts for receiving terminals at an industry meeting in Houston, June 19 and 20. "The LNG industry has typically required at least five years to put new supply chains into place. With local community opposition to onshore terminals running high, these lead-times may grow even longer," said Bob Nimocks, president of Zeus Development Corporation, a company that is conducting industry research to investigate new designs.