LNG

Chinese gas imports fall

China, the world’s largest LNG importer, has reported that its natural gas imports, including LNG and pipeline supplies, were slightly lower in July, compared with the same month in 2025, according to China’s General Administration of Customs. The decline extended the weaker trend for the year-to-date, with natural gas imports down 3% by volume in the first seven months of 2026, compared with the same period last year, which reduced the dollar value of the imports by 1.6%. July’s figures followed a recovery in June, when China imported 10.93 mill tonnes of natural gas, up 3.7% year-on-year and the highest monthly volume in five months. Overall imports in the first half of this year totalled 57.45 mill tonnes, a decline of 3.4% from 1H25. China’s LNG purchases also strengthened in June with imports reaching 5.68 mill tonnes, up 8.3% from June. 2025 and 16.8% from May.

QatarEnergy restarts NFE work

Reports were circulating that QatarEnergy had restarted commissioning work for the first liquefaction train of the giant North Field East (NFE) $28.75 bill LNG expansion project, following the recent resumption of construction work. As originally planned, NFE will consist of four 8 mill tonnes per annum trains, totalling 32 mill tonnes per annum of new capacity. Before the Middle East conflict, Qatar was aiming to lift its export capacity from 77 mill tonnes per annum to 110 mill tonnes, utilising the NFE project. The company also had further plans to increase the capacity to 142 mill tonnes per annum. Chiyoda and Technip Energies were known to be involved in NFE’s development and were thought to have restarted construction work.

EXMAR to operate large LNG bunker transhipment vessel

Belgian gas vessel owner and operator, EXMAR has taken delivery of the 146,000 cu m LNGC, ‘Simaisa’. The vessel was secured under an initial seven-year charter contract with what was described as a first-class counterparty. She will undergo a drydocking, which will include an upgrade to a floating transhipment unit (FTU), specifically dedicated to the LNG bunkering market. The FTU will receive large LNG cargoes from LNGCs, while specialised LNG bunkering vessels (LNGBVs) will load from the unit before supplying it as a fuel to vessels as needed. EXMAR’s CEO, Carl-Antoine Saverys, said: “EXMAR is gladly assisting its client in further paving the way to unlock LNG as a fuel for the shipping industry. “The FTU is a smart solution with which our client brings down the costs of the logistics relating to LNG bunkering. With this solution, we are building upon EXMAR’s close to 50 years of LNG experience. “We look forward deploying more of these assets to unlock the full potential of LNG as a fuel for the maritime industry,” he said.

Algeria is Spain’s major gas supplier

Algeria has again increased its gas sales to Spain, confirming its position as the country's main supplier at 10,707 GW in July. With the forthcoming EU Russian ban and events in the Middle East, Algeria is looking to fill the gap in gas supplies, local sources said. Analysing the period from January to July, Algeria topped the ranking of suppliers to the Spanish market, with 74,336 GWh, a 34% share of the total. This included gas arriving through the Medgaz pipeline and LNG arriving by ship. During the first few months of this year, Spain has diversified its natural gas purchases across 14 different countries. Nigeria was in second place in July, supplying 3,956 GWh (15.4% of the total), ahead of the US with 2,973 GWh (11.6%), and Russia, with 2,088 GWh (8.1%). The volume of gas entering the Spanish system in July totalled 25,647 GWh, of which just under half (47.6%) arrived as LNG, while the remainder (52.4%) entered via pipeline. Ship loading activity rose by 21.7% in July, compared with the same month in 2025, rising from 685 GWh to 833 GWh. Spanish underground storage facilities, meanwhile, stood at 72.5% of their capacity as of 9th August, somewhat higher than the European average, which stood at 58.8%. Looking at demand, the Spanish domestic gas market recorded a volume of 27,507 GWh in July, 8.4% higher than in the same month of 2025. This increase was driven by the electricity sector, where demand for gas to power combined-cycle plants rose by 31.5% year-on-year to 12,244 GWh, while conventional demand (industrial, domestic and commercial) fell by 5% to 15,263 GWh, reported Spanish English language publication Sur.

Ships - Deliveries, Sales, Conversions

Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp (CCEC) took delivery of the LNGC 'Alcaios I’ on 31st July 2026. Following her deliver from Hyundai Samho, the 174,000 cum vessel commenced employment under an 18-month index-linked timecharter. ‘Alcaios I’ was funded with cash on hand and $170 mill in total proceeds raised through the refinancing of two existing sale and leaseback facilities for the LNGCs ’Aristos I’ and ’Aristarchos’. The vessel was added as additional security by way of mortgage under the refinanced facilities, which have a 10-year term, CCEC said. She is the 15th latest-generation LNGC delivered to the company. CCEC’s under-construction fleet also includes six additional LNGCs, scheduled for delivery between the first quarter of 2027 and the first quarter of 2029. A joint venture company involving Japanese shipping giant NYK, Huajing LNG Transport (HLT), recently held a naming ceremony for a new LNGC for China’s CNOOC at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard. The ‘Greenergy River’ is the first of a series of six LNGCs that HLT will deploy for CNOOC, NYK said. She is also the first Chinese-built LNGC involving NYK to be deployed under a long-term charter contract with a Chinese client. The vessel is managed by OPearl LNG Ship Management a shipmanagement company established jointly by NYK, CMES, and CETS. HLT is a joint venture company comprising NYK, CNOOC Gas and Power Singapore Trading & Marketing, CETS Investment Management (HK) and CMES LNG Project 4. Meanwhile, it has been reported that GasLog has circulated two LNGCs for sale. It has also been reported that BW Gas’ 2006-built LNGC ‘LNG Benue’ is undergoing conversion into an FSRU to be called ‘Manzanillo FSRU’. China's Shanghai Huarun Dadong Dockyard started steel cutting this month, with full yard work set for December, and delivery scheduled for mid-2027 under a turnkey project with Hanwha Power Systems. The FSRU will be utilised at Manzanillo in the Dominican Republic.