Bloomberg announced a record price for the lease of LNG tankers

MOSCOW, 11 Oct — PRIME. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship rentals in the Atlantic Ocean have hit historic highs as Europe seeks to build up its energy reserves, Bloomberg reported, citing traders and data from Spark Commodities.

“The cost of chartering an LNG vessel in the Atlantic jumped to $397,500 a day on Tuesday, surpassing the record high set last year in the Pacific,” Bloomberg reported data from Spark Commodities, which estimates prices received from shipping brokers. The agency explains this by the desire of Europe to increase energy reserves for the winter.

According to traders, there are few available vessels until the end of the year and they are offered at very high prices. And the big energy companies, which usually lease their ships to other buyers, are refusing to do so, fearing that they may be left without a free fleet when winter sets in.

In addition, according to the agency, citing sources, European gas storage facilities are filling up quickly in preparation for a winter without Russian fuel, and as stocks are close to maximum, utilities and traders are increasingly storing LNG on ships at sea, making it even more difficult to work. ships that usually ferry fuel between ports.

“There are so few ships that LNG exporters in Asia sell gas directly from loading ports, and do not offer to ship fuel. Those who do not have ships are forced to look for buyers who have the ability to transport cargo,” the agency clarifies, citing traders. .