01.09.2014

The price of LNG was usually linked to the crude price (either international crude prices or specific crude import prices such as to Japan with 3-6 months’ lag. This does not mean a crude oil price equivalent, but rather what is known as the slope.

Namely, the extent to which the LNG price changes in response to changes in the oil price.

The slope of an LNG contract refers to the degree of indexation of the gas price to that of oil and is thus a measure of how much the gas price changes relative to a change in the oil price.

A slope of 16.67% is approximately oil parity.

On average 1 mmbtu of natural gas has about 16.67% of the energy content of a barrel of oil.

In LNG contracts the slope is typically less than oil parity, namely less than 16.67% and could be 14% or 15% but it could even be higher than parity if the buyer were willing to pay a premium over the heat equivalent oil price.

Thus, 1 mmbtu of gas = +/- 16.6% of energy content of 1 barrel of oil (6 to 1 heat equivalent parity)

30.08.2014
29.08.2014
26.08.2014
25.08.2014

New rules that come into force in ECAs at the start of 2015. The International Maritime Organisation has set a sulphur limit of 0.1% in marine fuels in ECA regions. This requires tanker owners to choose between converting their fleet to using LNG, to switching to expensive distillate fuels, or buying scrubbing technology to clean exhaust emissions. It is very probable that the switch over to natural gas would be both the cheapest and most environmentally friendly solution.

The economic benefits depend on the price of the oil and gas in each area and on the regulations and incentives offered by each particular government.