Latest News

Asian spot LNG slips amidst healthy stocks, weak demand

Asian area melted natural gas (LNG) rates a little declined this week, weighed by healthy inventory levels in the area and weak need.

The average LNG cost for March shipment into north-east Asia << LNG-AS > slipped to $13.90 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), versus $14.00/ mmBtu recently, market sources estimated.

The minor decrease was credited to weak need in Asia, as buying interest remained muted in spite of cooler weather condition, owing to healthy stock levels, stated Go Katayama, an analyst at information and analytics company Kpler.

Going forward in Asia for the week ahead, we can anticipate some bearishness in costs driven by well balanced inventories and typical to warmer-than-usual temperature levels throughout key markets. The contract rollover to March deliveries is expected to even more pressure prices, as projections suggest a 50-60% opportunity of above-average temperatures in March.

In the world's second-largest importer Japan, LNG stockpiles held by significant electrical utilities were at 2.11 million metric lots since Jan. 12, below 2.15 million tons last January but above the five-year average of 1.96 million tons, information from Japan's industry ministry showed.

Northeast Asian demand has also been silenced as present prices are too high for spot need to emerge from price-sensitive purchasers in India and China, stated Martin Senior, head of LNG pricing at Argus.

There have been at least 6 diversions in the mid-Atlantic from Asia to Europe over the previous week, with weak Asian need supplying restricted competition for Atlantic basin freights, he stated.

In Europe, prices rose on transit concerns on the TurkStream gas pipeline, unintended upkeep at Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field, U.S. sanctions on two Russian export terminals and projection of cooler temperature levels in northwest Europe.

Winter need has gotten and, as an outcome, both import flows and stocks are required to fulfill demand. Additionally, northwest Europe has actually experienced ... periods without any wind and no sun, said Hans Van Cleef, chief energy financial expert at PZ-Energy.

Demand for gas for power generation has actually increased.

S&P Global Product Insights evaluated its everyday North West Europe LNG Marker (NWM) price criteria for cargoes delivered in March on an ex-ship (DES) basis at $13.73/ mmBtu on Jan. 16, a. $ 0.25/ mmBtu discount rate to the March gas rate at the Dutch TTF. center.

Argus assessed the price at $13.69/ mmBtu, while Spark. Commodities evaluated the February price at $13.664/ mmBtu.

The U.S. arbitrage to northeast Asia via the Cape of Good. Expect February expanded, strongly signalling that U.S. cargoes. are incentivised to provide to Europe over Asia, said Glow. Products expert Qasim Afghan.

He included that the U.S. arbitrage to Northeast Asia through the. Panama Canal is likewise closed.

In LNG freight, Atlantic rates dropped for a 2nd straight. week to $20,000/ day on Friday, while Pacific rates was up to. $ 18,750/ day, said Afghan.

(source: Reuters)