LNG Ships Divert to Europe on Wider War Fears
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Liquefied natural gas cargoes are diverting away from Asia to Europe after fears of a wider war in the Middle East sent benchmark Dutch prices rallying.
Three LNG tankers carrying the super-chilled fuel from the U.S. changed course last week after initially heading to Asian destinations including China and South Korea, according to ship-tracking data on Bloomberg and data from Kpler.
The diversions come as European futures jumped — settling Oct. 4 at the highest this year — on concerns about increased risk to supplies in the Middle East, just as the heating season gets under way. They also illustrate the flexibility of where U.S. flows can go and the strong competition for shipments from Europe and Asia, the two biggest consuming regions.
Traders said the rerouting of the cargoes was a reaction to prices rather than any fundamental shifts in demand. Dutch gas futures spiked as much as 29% since mid-September.
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“However, with little total LNG supply growth winter on winter, Europe will need to continue to compete with a growing Asian market for limited available flex volumes,” Joshua Belo-Osagie, an analyst at Timera Energy, said in a note.
The vessel LNG Endeavour on Oct. 4 switched direction in the southern Atlantic to head north, ship-tracking data shows. It was diverted from China to Europe, though the exact destination isn’t yet known, according to data from intelligence firm Kpler.
Vivit Arabia LNG was en route to Chattogram, Bangladesh until Oct. 2, when it then signaled the U.K.’s Milford Haven as a destination, data on Bloomberg shows. A few days later, Marvel Dove diverted away from South Korea to Belgium.
Last month, at least two cargoes changed course from Europe to Asia amid stronger demand there.
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