Bloomberg: "US Suppliers Hindering EU's Move Away from Russian Gas"
Despite efforts by the EU to move away from Russian fuel, Russia nearly became the leading supplier of LNG to the EU instead of the US in July. For further details, read the full article on RT.com.
TroibNews 
Shipments of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Russia to the EU in July nearly equaled those from the US, Bloomberg has reported, using ship-tracking data as a source.
The data indicated that the EU imported around 1.5 million tons of LNG from the US last month, compared to roughly 1.3 million tons from Russia. Bloomberg noted that the difference between these shipments from the two countries was the smallest since late 2021.
The shift was attributed to a decrease in US shipments rather than an increase in Russian imports. According to Bloomberg, American suppliers are choosing to send LNG tankers to regions willing to pay higher prices. In July, the US shipped more LNG to Asian markets than in any month since 2021, driven by high demand due to hot weather.
In June, the EU imposed a ban on certain operations involving Russian LNG, such as re-loading, ship-to-ship transfers, and ship-to-shore transfers for re-exporting to third countries through the bloc. However, Russian seaborne gas imports into the EU are still permitted through LNG terminals connected to the interconnected natural gas network.
A forthcoming transshipment prohibition set to take effect next year is expected to retain more fuel within the region by complicating the logistics for Russian cargoes, Bloomberg mentioned. The news agency also suggested that it would be challenging to refuse cargoes if competition for supplies increases.
Last year, Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, claimed that the EU had reduced Russian gas imports by 80%. However, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, director general for energy in the European Commission, indicated that the bloc would need to rely on US gas supplies for decades to offset the significantly reduced purchases from Russia, warning that dependence on US supplies is likely to continue.
Earlier this year, the Financial Times, citing S&P Global Commodity Insights, reported that Russian LNG and remaining pipeline gas deliveries made up 13% of the EU’s total gas supplies last year, down from a peak of 40% in 2021.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
The data indicated that the EU imported around 1.5 million tons of LNG from the US last month, compared to roughly 1.3 million tons from Russia. Bloomberg noted that the difference between these shipments from the two countries was the smallest since late 2021.
The shift was attributed to a decrease in US shipments rather than an increase in Russian imports. According to Bloomberg, American suppliers are choosing to send LNG tankers to regions willing to pay higher prices. In July, the US shipped more LNG to Asian markets than in any month since 2021, driven by high demand due to hot weather.
In June, the EU imposed a ban on certain operations involving Russian LNG, such as re-loading, ship-to-ship transfers, and ship-to-shore transfers for re-exporting to third countries through the bloc. However, Russian seaborne gas imports into the EU are still permitted through LNG terminals connected to the interconnected natural gas network.
A forthcoming transshipment prohibition set to take effect next year is expected to retain more fuel within the region by complicating the logistics for Russian cargoes, Bloomberg mentioned. The news agency also suggested that it would be challenging to refuse cargoes if competition for supplies increases.
Last year, Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, claimed that the EU had reduced Russian gas imports by 80%. However, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, director general for energy in the European Commission, indicated that the bloc would need to rely on US gas supplies for decades to offset the significantly reduced purchases from Russia, warning that dependence on US supplies is likely to continue.
Earlier this year, the Financial Times, citing S&P Global Commodity Insights, reported that Russian LNG and remaining pipeline gas deliveries made up 13% of the EU’s total gas supplies last year, down from a peak of 40% in 2021.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
