Using VesselsValue, he provided insight into the foreseeable future of the world’s largest exporter of gas.
He highlights the predicament between Europe’s current sanctions and their dependence on Russian exports:
- The Ukraine crisis has sent global gas prices skyrocketing, but there may be bigger forces at work in the seaborne LNG market
- While the world awaits developments on pipeline supplies, ship tracking data on seaborne LNG volumes may assuage the worst fears
This is about half of which goes to Germany, Italy, France and Belarus.
Therefore, Europe is heavily reliant on this.
Srivastava said:
- Russia’s share of the seaborne LNG market is certainly large enough to move the needle on the global supply/demand balance
The Eurasian Arctic contributed 4 % of total volumes and the Russian Pacific another 2 %.
However, there are 4 much larger export regions; the Middle East Gulf with 20 % and the Gulf of Mexico with 14 %, Southeast Asia with 12 % and West Coast Australia with also 12 %.
The report says smaller changes in any of these 4 regions can outweigh larger changes in the 2 Russian regions.
Neither of the 2 Russian regions is yet exhibiting any unusual drop in seaborne volumes.
According to VesselsValue, exports are currently trending in line with last year’s levels.
Oil exports have dropped significantly as traders have shown almost complete unwillingness to buy Russian cargoes.
On the other hand, LNG is dominated by long-term offtake agreements.
The cargoes have, in effect, already been bought.
Srivastava pointed out:
- How long it takes for these exports to then find buyers willing to import them, particularly for Yamal LNG’s Westbound cargoes from the Eurasia Arctic, is another matter
- But for the time being, supplies are there and, with the market so hot, they should soon clear
