LNG

Gaztransport and Technigaz (GTT), the French maritime LNG storage technology company, has received another order from the China Merchants Heavy Industry shipyard in the eastern province of Jiangsu for the tank design of a new LNG carrier as its orders stack up.

The Royal Navy warship “HMS Duncan” has deployed from Portsmouth to the Red Sea as part of the mission to keep open international shipping routes amid renewed attacks on vessels by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen, ending hopes that shipping in the region could possibily return to near normal by the end of 2024.

The attacks have forced LNG carriers, oil tankers, containerships and other vessels to continue to be re-routed to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa amid renewed concerns that the Israel-Hamas war would further destabilise the Middle East now that Iran’s proxy, the Houthis, are back in action.

Shipping data shows that there has almost been a complete halt on LNG carriers entering the Red Sea area during the first five months of 2024.

In April 2024 a total of just 159 ships of all types used the Suez Canal, marking a sharp decline of 85 percent in the traffic from more normal times.

Re-routed

A total of 2,922 vessels used the Cape of Good Hope route in March, and the number was little changed in April at 2,873.

Maritime traffic at the Cape of Good Hope increased by 125 percent in the last six months, reflecting the diversions from both the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.

The number of containerships and LNG carriers using the Cape was up by 260 percent and 180 percent respectively in April, according to shipping data.

All countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Turkey, have found themselves at the end of a dead-end for all trade from Asia, as ships no longer reach them through the Suez Canal and instead have to go round South Africa and enter the Med by the Strait of Gibraltar, adding to costs.

Meanwhile, the United States Navy and the Royal Navy have led the most strikes against Houthi targets in retaliation for their attacks on vessels.

The Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea region since November 2023, later expanding their attacks to the Indian Ocean.

The group has said it will attack any ships sailing towards Israeli ports, even in the Mediterranean Sea, though there have as yet been no attacks on vessels in the East Med area.

Shipping protection

The UK government said that the Type 45 destroyer just deployed will relieve its sister ship “HMS Diamond”, which has been protecting shipping lanes in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks since before Christmas.

The Royal Navy said that “HMS Duncan” was a like-for-like replacement as it is armed with the same Sea Viper missile system and equipped with the same radar systems, which are able to accurately detect faraway threats.

During her deployment, “HMS Diamond” has shot down nine drones and one missile, launched by Houthis from the coast of Yemen at cargo ships.

“The 200 men and women of ‘HMS Duncan’ have worked to ensure that their ship is ready to deploy, successfully completing trials and training last week in preparation for the deployment,” said a Ministry of Defence statement.

“This will see the ship work to ensure freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for merchant vessels,” the statement added.

“HMS Duncan” spent five months leading NATO’s premier task group in the Mediterranean Sea last year, until handing over flagship duties to the Italian Navy in December.

The ship is now ready for more operations, with over 60 new members joining the ship’s company. 

Qatar Gas Transport Company, known as Nakilat and a global leader in liquefied natural gas shipping, is expanding its fleet to 80 ships through 2027 with orders just placed with a  South Korean shipyard for six new gas carriers.

European and Asian liquefied natural gas prices dropped with the February 2024 Japan-Korea Marker for North Asian spot cargoes being the highest in the complex as vessel charter rates plunged in a week when oil also lost $10 a barrel and European Union natural gas storage was full and temperatures were mild for the time of year.

Kanfer Shipping AS, one of the leading companies for small-scale gas solutions based in Norway, has signed an accord on establishing an attractive hub for liquefied natural gas bunkering and small-scale LNG distribution in and out of the Central American nation of Panama.

Sept 16 (LNG) - Two Q-Max LNG cargoes are heading for the UK from Qatar next week and a Qatari shipment is also due in Belgium, according to shipping data. The 260,925 cubic metres capacity vessel “Umm Slal” is scheduled to discharge a cargo on September 21 at the UK South Hook import terminal at Milford Haven.

   A second shipment is due on September 23 at South Hook onboard the 261,045 cubic metres capacity carrier “Al Mafyar”. Another LNG vessel, the 142,970 cubic metres Greek-flagged “Simaisma”, is scheduled to deliver a cargo from Ras Laffan to Zeebrugge in Belgium on September 25.

An attack on the LNG and oil and gas-producing United Arab Emirates has led a UK-based shipping security firm to raise a commercial shipping warning in the region to “substantial” and for Saudi Arabian and UAE-flagged ships to “severe”.

Simpson Spence Young (SSY), the world's largest independent shipbroker established in London in 1880 and a key participant in the LNG business, has acquired Piraeus, Greece-based Anchor Shipbroking.

Nakilat, one of the world’s largest LNG shipping operators, has partnered with the American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society, to develop a decarbonization strategy.

Nov 29 (LNGJ) - November cargo liftings of liquefied natural gas from the Pampa Melchorita export plant on the Pacific Coast of Peru have been made by vessels with around 173,000 of capacity, the “Murex”, the “Maran Gas Roxana” and the “Valencia Knutsen”.