LNG

Russian LNG cargoes

Japan and China remain the biggest buyers of LNG from Russia, whose two export plants are Sakhalin in the Russian Far East and the Yamal plant in Northern Siberia. Shipping data showed that between January and October 2022 Japan bought around 5.96 million tonnes of LNG from Russia, a fall of 10 percent from 2021, while China purchased 5.67MT, an increase of 24 percent from 2021. After Japan and China, the other main buyers of Russian LNG cargoes through October 2022 have been France (4.75MT), Spain (3.24MT), Belgium (1.78MT) and the Netherlands (1.67MT).

Newbuilds increase

Shipyards in China and South Korea have seen orders in the past month for at least eight newbuild liquefied natural gas carriers and one floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) as the global fleet expands to meet rising demand. The orders include two vessels of 175,000 cubic metres capacity under an order made by German ship management company Hammonia Reederei and to be delivered between 2025 and 2026 from China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.

Woodside funding

Woodside Energy, the operator of the North West Shelf and Pluto LNG plants in Western Australia, said it had continued its track record of contributions to the state’s communities with a A$50 million (US$33M) commitment to the Resources Community Investment Initiative (RCII) announced by State Premier Mark McGowan. Woodside Chief Executive Meg O’Neill said Woodside was pleased to join with the WA Government and other industry participants to establish the RCII, which will facilitate investment in infrastructure projects and community and social initiatives across the state.