LNG spot trading continues to surge
LNG spot trading is setting new records and in its ‘true’ form has more than doubled since 2016, according to the latest data from GIIGNL
The global LNG business broke several records last year. One of the most significant was another surge in what importers’ group GIIGNL calls ‘true’ spot trading, where delivery occurs in 90 days or fewer after the transaction, which was up 21pc year-on-year and 102pc on 2016. The surge highlights the increasing commoditisation and sophistication of the industry, driven largely by the growing role of portfolio players such as Shell and Total, as well as commodity traders such as Vitol and Gunvor. Amid the doom and gloom of the Covid-19 pandemic and plummeting oil and gas prices, the latest state-of-the-business report from GIIGNL is rare cause for celebration, quantifying as it does the indus
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
