Deliveries of U.S. liquefied natural gas to the European Union were up nearly 20 percent year-over-year during the month of April, new data reveal. For the period of April 1st through 23rd the flow of LNG from the U.S. rose from 4.1 bcm to 4.8 bcm, an increase of 18 percent. The increase is primarily the result of stronger buying by Spain, data compiled by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a think tank, indicates.
Over that same period supplies of Russian LNG to the EU, primarily from the Arctic Yamal LNG plant, were down 35 percent falling from 1.8 to 1.1 bcm.
The European continent as a whole, including the UK and Türkiye, accounted for 80 percent of U.S. exports. The biggest importers were France buying 14.3 percent of U.S. production, followed by the UK at 13.6 percent and ??Türkiye with 12.2 percent. U.S. exports to Spain were up significantly growing five-fold to close to 1.2 bcm.
Share of U.S. LNG exports by destination country. (Source: IEEFA)
Meanwhile Russian deliveries to the EU faced headwinds declining by 35 percent compared to the same April period in 2024. Whether U.S. supplies will continue to make inroads in replacing Russian LNG remains to be seen.
Russian and U.S. LNG exports between April 1st and 23rd 2024 and 2025. (Source: IEEFA)
Russian supplier Novatek was also faced with an unexpected shutdown of Train 3 of its Yamal LNG plant in April. The production line has since resumed production.
The EU transshipment ban, which took effect at the end of March, may also be affecting Russian exports. Under the new policy EU terminals are barred from reloading LNG from Russia. Novatek has since resorted to using ship-to-ship transfers. Since the beginning of the year the main transfer point at Kildin Island near Murmansk has already seen 17 such STS operations almost matching the figure of 18 recorded for all of 2024.
Global Russian LNG exports decreased by 23 percent year-over-year for the April period. China reduced imports from 1.0 bcm in 2024 to 0.4 bcm this year. The reduction comes as the result of sluggish demand by China in combination with the temporary shutdown of T3 of Yamal LNG and likely logistics adjustments following the EU transshipment ban.
Russia is in advanced talks with Bahrain over a three-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement under which Moscow would supply the Gulf kingdom with 1.5 million metric tons of the fuel, according to three sources close to the matter.
Russia's oil exports are becoming increasingly difficult to track as the tankers moving the barrels disappear from digital tracking systems. Moscow’s exports slipped slightly in the past four weeks, according to monitoring of those flows by Bloomberg.
Taiwan is seeking liquefied natural gas shipments following the shutdown of its last nuclear reactor, a move that will increase the island’s reliance on the seaborne fuel.
May 19, 2025
Total Views: 620
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,064 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,064 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.