LNG

LNG carrier ordering activity in the first half of 2026 has rebounded from last year’s slowdown, with MS Cardiff Gas, Hayfin and BW LNG again seen circling Korean shipyards for 2029 delivery windows.

Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET) has launched an expression of interest process for engineering, procurement and construction contractors for its planned $1 billion LNG import terminal at Richards Bay in South Africa, according to the project’s website. The first phase will include about 3 mtpa of regasification capacity, with later expansion plans to add more storage and capacity. The project is being developed by Vopak Terminal Durban and Transnet Pipelines.

Contract flexibility, strong demand and reliable project execution are bolstering credit profiles of US and Canadian LNG producers, Fitch Ratings said. Longer-term credit upside could fade as competition intensifies, build costs rise and demand visibility weakens, leaving producers reliant on tighter capital discipline and low-cost expansions, analysts warn.

Designating the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and the Montney formation as “strategic national assets” would help reduce feedgas risk and uncertainty facing Canada’s LNG sector today, Ottawa-based Public Policy Forum said in a report on unlocking LNG export potential.

Delivery of 17 LNG carrier newbuildings tied to the TotalEnergies-led 12.8 mtpa Mozambique LNG project has been delayed, with shareholders asking shipyards Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries to defer declaration dates to September 2026.

Stephanie Duran has been appointed Acting CEO of the Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association (ANGEA), succeeding Paul Everingham who stepped down on June 30. The leadership change comes as the regional industry group continues to advocate for natural gas and LNG as key transition fuels in Asia’s energy mix.

Japan’s JERA has launched a vertically integrated unit – JERA Global Energy Solutions – to consolidate and optimise its LNG portfolio across upstream, LNG, lower-carbon fuels, and shipping. The new entity will work closely with JERA’s LNG trading platform JERA Global Market to coordinate physical supply with trading strategies.

Russia’s Novatek has begun its 2026 summer Arctic LNG shipping season with simultaneous eastbound cargoes from its Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 projects via the Northern Sea Route – in the face of Western sanctions and ongoing technical constraints at Arctic LNG 2.

Global LNG demand could reach nearly 700 million tonnes a year by 2050, a 65% increase from 2025-levels, Shell forecasts, assuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal this summer, before growth resumes in 2027.