LNG Shipping Insight: Another bleak year?
Time:2015-01-20
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In the coming year, when 37 new vessels are expected to join the feet, utilisation rates for LNG vessels are likely to remain under pressure as the demand from Asian countries weakens. The Japanese economy is currently struggling with deflation and high public debt, and although the government is trying to support the economy through aggressive monetary easing and increased public spending, there are no signs of improvement yet. Moreover, the Nuclear Regulation Authority has provisionally approved the safety case for two more reactors. Once all these plants become functional, LNG imports are likely to decline. In South Korea, some nuclear reactors shut during most of 2014 have restarted and are displacing LNG. These plants will further reduce the demand for LNG imports in the coming year. In the same line, Korea Energy Economics Institute has also projected that Korea’s LNG demand and imports will ease after 2015. However there is one bright spot that we could see while entering the new year and that was a fall in oil prices below $50/bbl. If oil prices remain low and LNG prices mirror the same, it might make LNG competitive with other fuels thus create demand for LNG and provide a boost to LNG shipping.