Gulf Times: America’s gas exports keep booming but a dearth of tankers looms

1 April 2018: “The immediate result of the tanker gap: Shipping costs could rise, and it may be tougher to get the product to foreign markets, said Jefferson Clarke, an industry analyst at London-based Poten & Partners Inc.”

““In a world where US exports dominate a larger share of global trade volume, there’s a good chance LNG shipping costs will rise because demand will grow faster than the existing fleet,” Clarke said in a telephone interview.”

“At the same time, geographic dislocation could lead to challenges sourcing cargoes from certain countries. “When you have a shortage, vessels aren’t always where you need them to be,” Clarke said. “If there’s additional demand in one basin, there may be no ships in another.””

““You’ll read headlines of someone not being able to get a delivery or someone not getting a cargo, and it will happen,” Clarke said. “But it’s not to say that the global LNG trade will shut down.””

 

To read full article, click here.