LPG Tankers to Gain on U.S. Shale Boom, Says Clarkson

File photo of a LPG carrier. Image: NYK Lines

By Isaac Arnsdorf

(Bloomberg) — Tankers hauling liquefied petroleum gas will gain as shale oil and gas production boosts U.S. exports and fleet growth slows, according to Clarkson Capital Markets, a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker.

Global demand will rise 5 percent a year through 2016 while the fully refrigerated fleet expands 4.5 percent annually in the next two years, with few ships ordered afterward, Urs Dur, a New York-based analyst at Clarkson, said in an e-mailed report today. U.S. export capacity will rise to 12 million metric tons in 2015 from 5 million tons now, requiring more vessels, he said.