Bloomberg is reporting:
The U.S. is poised to become a net
exporter of liquefied petroleum gases for the first year ever as
shale-based energy production jumps, prompting new orders for
specialized ships to haul propane and butane.
Daily LPG shipments equated to a record 194,000 barrels in
last year’s first 11 months, outpacing imports at 169,700
barrels, U.S. Energy Information Administration figures show.
That’s the first time the country was a net exporter in records
going back to 1973, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Total seaborne trade in LPG will come to 100.6 million
metric tons this year, up about 16 percent from 2010, estimates
by German transportation lender DVB Bank SE show. U.S. exports
will exceed 5 million tons this year, against 3.7 million tons
in 2012, before reaching 7 million tons next year, London-based
shipbroker Braemar Seascope Ltd. predicts.
“After that, it’s anybody’s guess,” Nick Wright, a
shipbroker at Braemar who specializes in organizing charters for
gas carriers hauling LPG, said by phone Feb. 13. “Some have
predicted they’ll be as much as 20 million tons by 2020.”
Associated article:
Bloomberg is also reporting that Russia will raise the export duty on oil in March. Buried at the very bottom of the article, the last paragraph:
The government may lower the duty on liquefied petroleum
gases such as butane and propane to $131.40 a ton from $200.30.
I'm usually wrong on these things, but this certainly suggests the increasing LNG (propane and butane) being exported by the US is having an effect on world pricing. A drop from $200 to $130 seems like a significant drop.
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