Asia's LNG appetite continues to drive shipping market in 2012

摘要

In the last issue's foreword I pointed out what a remarkable and dramatic year 2011 was for LNG shipping. There has been no let up in the pace of developments in the first two months of the new year. Considerable focus has been on Japan, where LNG imports have been stepped up to compensate for the shutdown of the country's nuclear reactors for safety checks, assessments and stress tests following the devastating March 2011 earthquake. Shipments to the country rose by 12 per cent in 2011, to 78.53 million tonnes (mt), and Japan now accounts for approximately one third of global LNG movements.