Oz East Coast LNG Exports to China Drop 14% in April

LNG exports from projects located on the Australian east coast to China dropped 14% yr/yr in April owing to weak demand in Asia’s biggest economy. The exports to China were down for the third straight month.

The three LNG export projects – ConocoPhillips-Origin Energy Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG), Shell’s Queensland Curtis LNG and the Santos-led Gladstone LNG – in the state of Queensland shipped 1.11mn metric tons of LNG to China last month compared with 1.29mn mt in the same period of last year, according to data published by Gladstone Ports Corporation on May 6. The Chinese demand has taken a hit because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Overall east coast LNG exports, however, increased 8.4% yr/yr thanks to jump in shipments to Japan and South Korea. The three projects exported a total of 1.93mn mt of LNG in April as against 1.78mn mt in the same month of last year, the data showed. In addition to China, Japan and South Korea, another major importer last month was Malaysia. 

Malaysia imported 187,620 mt as against 249,114 mt in the same month last year. South Korea imported 283,194 mt of LNG, up from 169,691 mt in the same month of last year, the data showed. Japan imported 203,823 mt of LNG versus 67,166 mt a year earlier.