Vaca Muerta gains LNG traction amid Middle East supply risk
Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale is drawing investor interest to a 15-block licensing round for blocks suited for LNG feedgas development. The bidding round comes as LNG buyers reassess their portfolio exposure to supplies chains build around the Strait of Hormuz. Disruption or perceived risk to future LNG exports from Qatar and the UAE have increased interest in Atlantic Basin alternatives.
Shell to deliver LNG cargo to Turkey for Bulgargaz
Shell has won a tender to deliver one LNG cargo to Turkey on behalf of Bulgaria’s state-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz, in a move highlighting Sofia’s reliance on LNG to meet seasonal electricity demand.
Santos, Exxon take FID on Agogo tie-in to PNG LNG
Papua New Guinea (PNG) LNG partners – notably Santos and ExxonMobil – have approved a final investment decision to tie in the Agogo production facility in a bid to bolster feedstock and sustain LNG exports to 2028, and beyond.
Petronas signs 20-yr charter with MISC for five LNG carriers
Malaysia’s Petronas has signed 20‑year time charter agreements with MISC Group for five newbuild LNG carriers, with deliveries due to begin in 2029 and continue into 2030.
US LNG vessels headed to China prior to Trump-Xi summit
Prospects that Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing could help reinstate direct US LNG imports to China are gaining traction, with LSEG data indicating that three carriers loaded in Louisiana could reach China within a month.
Taiwan pivots to US LNG to fill Qatari supply gap
CPC Corp, Taiwan’s state-run LNG buyer, has redirected spot and short-term tenders to US producers like Cheniere or Venture Global to offset suspended Qatari supplies. Customs data show monthly imports reached 2.07 million tonnes in April, up 4.34% year-on-year, with the upward trend continuing.
India turns down sanctioned Russian LNG
India has rejected a cargo of Russian LNG from the US-sanctioned terminal despite domestic supply shortages amid Middle East tensions – effectively stranding a 138,200-cbm tanker near Singapore, according to Reuters and ship-tracking data.
Asia’s call on cross-basin LNG cargo lifts JKM-TTF spreads
Fast-growing Asian demand for cross-basin LNG cargoes has widened price spreads between the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) and the Dutch TTF for the July–September period. An uneven recovery in Hormuz carrier transits risks delaying a return to “normal” exports until October.
LNG and fuels crisis rattles Asian economies
A worsening LNG and fuel supply crunch is hitting Asian economies, pushing up electricity prices, shipping and airfare costs. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that Middle East‑related disruptions could inflicting about $299 billion in economic losses on the Asia‑Pacific region, with around 8.8 million people are at risk of being pushed into poverty.
First Qatari LNG tanker transits Hormuz for Pakistan
The Al Kharaitiyat LNG carrier, loaded at Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal in early May, has left the Strait of Hormuz and is now en route to Pakistan, according to ship tracking data. Analysts reckon more cargoes may be able to get out.
