LNG Shipping Rates Seen by Arctic Falling as Winter Demand Eases

Rates to ship liquefied natural gas may decline as winter-fuel demand subsides even as the price gap between Europe and Asia makes it profitable to shift cargoes between the regions, according to Arctic Securities ASA.
Spot rates were unchanged from last week at $126,000 a day, Erik Nikolai Stavseth, an Oslo-based analyst at the investment bank, said in an e-mailed report today, citing figures from shipbroker Fearnley LNG. The premium for the frozen fuel in Asia widened to $9 per million British thermal units, he said.
“It seems that the sentiment is somewhat softer at present,” Stavseth said in the report. “While high arbs could support rates, we find that rates could slide as we move out of what seems like an extremely tight winter market from a volume perspective.”
Source: Bloomberg