Mapping the global liquefied natural gas trade network: A perspective of maritime transportation

摘要

As the demand for sustainable energy sources is increasing globally, the popularization and application of clean energy has become an inevitable trend. Natural gas is playing an increasingly vital role in global energy consumption. The vast majority of natural gas is transported between ports in vessels in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) due to the geographical separation between the supply and demand countries. Analyzing its transportation pattern is of great significance for optimizing trade strategies between countries and ensuring their energy import and export security. However, existing knowledge on detailed trade patterns at the port level is limited. In this study, we adopted a set of network indices and a classic community detection method to investigate global LNG transportation networks using mass vessel trajectory data collected from 2013 to 2017. The results show that 1) the LNG transportation network is characterized by closer connections; 2) Singapore, Ras Laffan, and Khawr Fakkan have the most important roles in the LNG transportation network; 3) the global LNG trade network has developed several closely connected trading communities since 2013, and ports within individual communities have gradually become more geographically concentrated; and 4) the global LNG trade network has evolved into three closely linked trading zones, i.e., a zone encompassing some of the ports in the Middle East, Australia, Singapore, East Asia, and Southeast Asia; a zone encompassing the remaining ports of the Middle East, East Africa, the Mediterranean, and Europe; and the ports in the Americas, which is a relatively independent trade zone. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.