Svitzer will provide marine support services for the Excelerate Energy FSRU at Bangladesh’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal. Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Limited awarded Svitzer the 15-year contract following a competitive tender process. The contract also includes a five-year option. Bangladesh’s first LNG import terminal, located offshore Moheshkhali Island in the Bay of Bengal, will enable Petrobangla, the state owned energy company, to increase natural gas supply in the country by up to 20 percent, sufficient to support up to 3,000 MW of power generation capacity. The construction of the terminal will commence in the fourth quarter of 2017 and is anticipated to be in service by mid- 2018.

The International Energy Agency predicted that the US will become the world's No. 2 exporter of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022 with a capacity of 3.7 trillion cubic feet per year, second only to Australia. The U.S. is already the world's largest producer of natural gas. The agency says more than half of the natural gas produced in the US will be converted to LNG for export. A Reuters report said that global LNG export capacity would reach 650 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year by the end of 2022, compared to less than 452 bcm a year in 2016.

Qatar will maintain its dominance over the global liquefied natural gas market despite increased supply from Australia and the United States, the weekly report by Qatar National Bank (QNB) said. A report in The Penisula quoting QNB said that Qatar currently accounts for 30.1 percent of the global market. The country captured nearly 70 percent of the new African demand, more than compensating for the lower cargoes to Japan. Amidst these market shifts, Qatar maintained its position as the world's largest and most cost-efficient producer…

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Limited (Excelerate) are co-developing the Moheshkhali Floating LNG project – Bangladesh's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal. The project will be located offshore Moheshkhali island in the Bay of Bengal with a project cost of $179.5 million. IFC and Excelerate announced securing the debt financing for the project to help expand access to clean energy in Bangladesh. Bangladesh's first LNG import terminal will enable Petrobangla…

Drilling for oil and natural gas on the Reed Bank in the South China Sea may resume before the end of the year, a Philippine energy official said on Wednesday, as the government prepares to offer new blocks to investors in bidding in December. The Philippines suspended exploration at the Reed Bank, which it calls Recto Bank, in late 2014, as it pursued international arbitration over territorial disputes. The bank is in waters claimed by China. Ismael Ocampo, director at the Department of Energy's Resource Development Bureau, told reporters the agency expected the suspension to be lifted in December. He said a directive from the Department of Foreign Affairs directing the Department of Energy to resume oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea was already in the works.

The Regional Maritime University in Ghana (RMU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Höegh LNG, a major player in the LNG segment of the maritime industry, for the support and maritime capacity development for both RMU and Ghanaian seafarers. Quantum Power Ghana is also party to the MoU, which was signed 16 June 2017. Höegh LNG is one of the world's leading providers of floating liquid natural gas (LNG) infrastructure services. Using a new, purpose built Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) provided by Hoegh LNG…

Goltens said it has been awarded a contract for the engineering and retrofit installation of OceanSaver ballast water treatment (BWT) systems on board two of BP Shipping’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The vessels to be retrofitted are the two 138,000 cbm LNG vessels British Innovator and British Merchant. Goltens will undertake the engineering and prefabrication work in 2017 and then complete the installation services in 2018. “We look forward to working closely with BP and applying our well-proven process to the retrofit of these two gas carriers in the most efficient manner…

Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) has released new rules for liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled coastal and inland vessels. The new rules, which come in addition to its already established rules for ocean going ships, aim to underscore the increasing importance of using cleaner fuels, and help maritime stakeholders to promote environment friendly fuels for coastal and inland vessels, the class society said. The rules for gas fuelled vessels have been developed based on a study of the various international requirements such as the ESTRIN (European Standard laying down Technical Requirements for Inland Navigation Vessels), the IMO IGF Code and consultations with various stakeholders.

ABS informs it has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) for a new MOSS-type liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank design concept developed by Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI). Designated as an IMO Type B independent tank, the concept takes a new approach by applying a non-spherical tank design to increase the use of space on board an LNG carrier. According to KHI, the non-spherical design concept allows Panamax-size LNG carriers to expand their total carrying capacity to 180,000m³, a 25,000m³ volume increase when compared to using spherical tanks. In issuing its AIP, ABS reviewed the strength and fatigue analysis to support KHI in demonstrating the feasibility of the new concept.

Qatari exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) remain stable amid ongoing tension between the world's biggest LNG exporter and its neighbours, an executive for Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday. "LNG flows remain stable, cargoes are going into the market," said Steve Hill, Executive Vice-President for Gas and Energy Marketing and Trading at Shell, one of the world's biggest LNG traders. "Qatar is a very credible and competent LNG producer," Hill said at an industry event in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing terrorism. Doha has denied the allegations. Qatar said on Monday that its exports, including of LNG, to Japan, India, South Korea and China had not been affected by a the boycott.

State-run Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) has shortlisted six countries and will choose one from them as a partner for its planned US$2 billion receiving and distribution facility for imported LNG, Reuters reported. The company has received six proposals from China, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to co-build the LNG hub, PNOC’s head of LNG team and technical adviser Arwin Ardon quoted as saying. He said all proposals include storage, liquefaction, regassification, a power plant, and distribution facility as part of the LNG terminal.

EnerSea Transport L.L.C., innovators of a new compressed natural gas (CNG) transport technology, applauded House Members for today's passage of H.R. gas to offshore offloading terminals in the United States. EnerSea's Managing Director. "This bill provides a mechanism to develop and bring to US consumers natural gas that currently is stranded. natural gas.

El Paso Global LNG, a subsidiary of El Paso Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and the Eqyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) to investigate opportunities for El Paso to invest in the natural gas sector in Egypt. The MOU will allow the parties to cooperate in the exploration, production, gathering, transportation, and processing of natural gas and the possible development of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction plant in Egypt. The parties will begin various studies into Egypt's natural gas sector immediately.

Senator Alexander (R-TN) introduced the Natural Gas Price Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 726) to promote the conservation and production of natural gas. Among other things, the bill, if enacted, would amend the Natural Gas Act and the Deepwater Port Act regarding federal permits and licenses for siting, construction, expansion, and operation of facilities for the import or export of natural gas. (HK Law)

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) informs it has released a study that evaluates total fuel cycle emissions for natural gas versus conventional marine fuels. This study was conducted as a part of MARAD’s Maritime Environmental & Technology Assistance program, which focuses efforts on emerging marine transportation and environmental issues. Results of the study showed that the use of natural gas as a propulsion fuel can reduce air quality pollutants and reduce major greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional fuels.

Classification society ClassNK has released its Guidelines for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Carriers. Global economic and population growth is bringing about increased energy production and consumption. In its latest forecast, CEDIGAZ, an international not-for-profit association dedicated to natural gas information, predicts that global natural gas demand will grow by 1.8 percent a year from 2013 to 2035 with the largest portion of this growth coming from Asia-Oceania and the Middle East. Natural gas share in world primary energy supply is projected to increase from 21.3 percent to 23.6 percent over the same period. As the demand and supply of natural gas increases, the volume of transportation of natural gas will also expand.

Caterpillar Inc. now underway in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event is North America’s leading conference on the use of natural gas to fuel high horsepower operations. As an industry leader in the design and manufacture of dual-fuel and natural gas engines, Caterpillar plans to highlight its commitment to delivering the highest customer value for energy and power systems operations, as well as rail, marine and mining applications. “We’re proud of where our natural gas heritage…

Natural gas workers in Peru, South America's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, said on Friday they had pulled out of wage talks with Argentine energy company Pluspetrol and would vote on a possible strike in a few weeks. Pluspetrol leads the consortium that taps Peru's Camisea fields, the source of the country's daily natural gas output of around 1.2 billion cubic feet. Juan Carlos Vargas, a spokesman for the SUTRAPPEC union that represents 193 of the 494 Camisea workers, said a walkout would halt natural gas production. "There would be no one to pump the gas," Vargas said.

NITC, Iran's leading oil tanker operator, said on Monday its shipments to Europe were increasing daily and it plans to upgrade its fleet to support expansion. International sanctions on Iran were lifted in January 2016 and NITC is looking to come in from the cold after years of isolation. Mohammad Reza Shams Dolatabadi, NITC's head of international affairs, told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy industry conference in Istanbul that the company aimed to replace some of its older tankers with new vessels. He added that the company also planned to acquire liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, marking a new direction for the company. "We are thinking of an LNG fleet in the future," he said. Dolatabadi said the number of NITC ships calling at European ports was set to increase.

Woodside Natural Gas announced a commitment to U.S. staffing and flagging of its regasification ships for the proposed OceanWay natural gas project. This action was officially conveyed by Steve Larson, President of Woodside Natural Gas, to Sean Connaughton, Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration. OceanWay, a proposed project to provide an alternative source of much-needed natural gas to California, will be one of the cleanest, safest and most secure natural gas delivery systems in the world. OceanWay will use a ship and buoy system to deliver gas to California, unloading at two buoys more than 28 miles offshore, southwest of the Los Angeles Hyperion sewage treatment plant, and connecting into the existing gas network via undersea pipelines.

Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) is providing the design to Sea NG Corp. located in Calgary, Canada, for two additional versions of the Coselle Compressed Natural Gas CNG carrier, based on a similar design which was approved by ABS in September 2006 for construction and will primarily be engaged on international voyages. “CNG carriers are a cost effective, reliable and safe alternative to the traditional ways of transporting natural gas via subsea pipelines or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers,” said Dan Koch, Vice President of Engineering. “When circumstances allow it, pipelines provide the best option for transporting gas over short distances, while Liquefied Natural Gas carriers offer various advantages for large quantities of natural gas to be transported over long distances.

Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras may revive a shelved liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports project for the northeast due to disappointment with soaring costs of its planned Gasene natural gas pipeline, according to a Reuters report. A regasification plant could be an alternative to Gasene, or be used jointly with the pipeline as natural gas demand in Latin America’s largest country is soaring. Gasene is designed to connect Brazil’s southeastern and northeastern gas networks. Its initial estimated cost of over $1.1 billion went above $2 billion after Brazil brought in Chinese partner Sinopec earlier this year. Demand for natural gas is growing rapidly at over 20 percent a year in Brazil due to increasing industrial use and back-up thermoelectric plants.

Ferus Natural Gas Fuels and ENN Canada Corporation announced a Joint Venture to construct, own and operate two LNG liquefaction plants in Canada. The plants will be strategically located in Vancouver, British Columbia and Edmonton, Alberta to service the on-road trucking market as well as other high-horsepower applications including marine, rail, mining and oil and gas exploration. “The benefits of fueling with natural gas are significant”, said Henry Cai, CEO of ENN Canada. "These projects will help build the market for clean burning natural gas as a transportation fuel,” said Ken Hughes, Alberta’s Energy Minister. The partnership brings together two major players in the North American natural gas fueling market.