LNG

Last week, the European Union (EU), together with the UK, announced its 17th sanctions package, which included Russia’s LNG sector, among other shipping interests.

Asian spot LNG prices rose last week for the third week running to a two-week high.

The Pakistan Government has diverted six more LNG cargoes to the international spot market, bringing the total up to 11.

The six were due to be received in July, August, September, October, November and December, from Italian energy company Eni in a contract in which, Pakistan LNG Ltd (PLL) was due to import one LNG cargo per month under a 15-year agreement, a senior official at the Pakistan Ministry of Energy told local media.

“The government has managed to divert six more LNG cargoes to the international market. The total diverted cargoes through December 2025 from Eni is expected to reach 11 in number,” the spokesman for the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Co (SNGPL) confirmed.

However, following the diversion of one LNG cargo each month, there has been no respite thus far in the line pack gas pressure since February, 2025, despite some dips.

The line pack was said to be still on the higher side at over 5 bill cu ft putting the national gas transmission network in jeopardy.

Pressure, as of 24th May, 2025, according to the latest gas data, was at 5.167 bill cu ft - 5 bill cu ft was said to be the danger mark.

PLL had earlier switched five LNG cargoes to the international market, which were due to arrive in February, March, April, May and June this year.

“This is being done because of the demand that SNGPL placed in its letter written on 21st January, 2025, to the federal government seeking to divert 11 term LNG cargoes to the international market.

“The Power Division has refused to increase the use of RLNG for power generation even during June, July and August, the peak summer season,” the official said. 

HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy, has called for continued investments in energy projects.

There have been several sales and purchase agreements (SPAs) signed recently, some of which were revealed during the Word Gas Conference (WGC2025) in Beijing last week.

Russia was believed to be in talks with Bahrain over a possible three-year agreement under which, Moscow would supply 1.5 mill tonnes of LNG, according to three sources talking with Reuters.

Australian utility, Squadron Energy, has confirmed that its Port Kembla (NSW) gas terminal will not begin operations until at least 2027.

This delay comes despite warnings from the national energy market operator of looming gas shortfalls across southern Australia from 2028, local media said.

However, the Australian Government has claimed that it had secured gas supplies until 2029.

The Port Kembla Energy Terminal - which has been completed and connected to the Eastern Gas Pipeline - will stay in ‘care and maintenance’ ‘until mid-2027, after a reassessment of customer needs and updated projections from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

Squadron Energy Executive General Manager of Operations, Stuart Davis, said the revised timeline reflected market conditions.

He revealed that Squadron Energy had received a request from Egyptian state-owned company EGAS for an extension, as it was going through a sales process for the terminal.

Last year, the developer chartered the FSRU ‘Hoegh Galleon’, which will be able to receive both domestic and imported gas.

In March, AEMO's 2025 Gas Statement of Opportunities identified peak-day shortfall risks in southern states from 2028, a shift from previous forecasts predicting earlier shortfalls.

However, the report still warned of deepening supply gaps from 2029 onwards, and called for structural investment in new supply, pipelines, or storage to avoid market imbalances.

Jemena, which owns and operates the Eastern Gas Pipeline linking Victoria and New South Wales, said the delay would not impact its work to reconfigure the pipeline for bi-directional flows, allowing gas to move south to Melbourne.

"We are in deep commercial discussions with a lot of very large customers to take the offtake and we're confident from 2027 on we will be able to sell the capacity of the facility.

"We are the only solution that has gone through financial investment decision (FID), we've finished construction and commissioning,“ Davis said.

Analysis from the Australia Institute showed about 80% of Australia's gas is exported as LNG. 

South Korea’s Hanwha Group plans to invest Won100 bill ($71.8 mill) in Philly Shipyard, its US-based shipbuilding subsidiary.

Houston-based classification society and consultancy, ABS has awarded an Approval in Principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for its multi-purpose LNG floater design for deepwater applications.

Viasat subsidiary, Inmarsat Maritime, is to upgrade Mitsui OSK Lines’ (MOL) satellite supply to its fleet, including almost 100 LNGCs.

The vessels will be upgraded from the Fleet Xpress (FX) service to Inmarsat’s NexusWave.

This transition to NexusWave will allow MOL to benefit from Inmarsat’s fully managed bonded connectivity service and accelerate the digitalisation strategy of the giant Japanese shipping company, the satcoms giant said.

Local Inmarsat partner JSAT MOBILE Communications will be responsible for implementing and supporting the upgrades on board the vessels.

In response to evolving operational and crew connectivity needs, MOL required multi-layered satcoms services to support the transformation of its vessels into floating offices and homes.

By combining multiple network underlays in one bonded connection, Inmarsat NexusWave delivers the speeds, reliability, unlimited data, and global coverage to support this objective, with cyber-security, 24/7 technical support, and fully transparent costs, to ensure complete peace of mind, the satellite service supplier claimed.

Junichi Yoshiyama, MOL’s Chief Digital & Information Officer, said: “Our digitalised and connected ships are becoming floating operations centres and homes for our crew, and Inmarsat’s NexusWave will help keep them connected to high-speed internet and support our on board digitalisation strategy.”

Ben Palmer, President, Inmarsat Maritime, added: “We are proud to continue our partnership with MOL and to deliver NexusWave as an accelerator of maritime digitalisation and, by extension, an enabler of the floating office and floating home.

“Forward-thinking operators like MOL are drawn to the solution for its performance, robust capabilities, and the confidence that comes from working with a reliable maritime connectivity partner,” he said.

Katsuaki Koike, JSAT MOBILE Communications CEO, commented: “MOL, JSAT, and Inmarsat have been long-term partners, and this collaboration further underscores our commitment to providing cutting-edge connectivity solutions.

“We are dedicated to supporting MOL’s digital transformation journey and look forward to ensuring seamless and reliable installations across MOL vessels,” he said.

In recent operational tests, NexusWave achieved download speeds of up to 330–340 Mbps, upload speeds of up to 70–80 Mbps, with average network availability exceeding 99.9%.

As part of Inmarsat’s commitment to continuous improvement, the forthcoming integration of the ultra-high capacity, high-speed ViaSat-3 Ka-band network will increase NexusWave’s aggregated connectivity speeds even further, the company said.