Panama Canal is expected to see the number of LNG tankers transiting the canal, rise by 50% until September, because of the increased fuel exports from the US.
The Panama Canal added a third set of locks in 2016, something that will increase the global LNG demand through the canal, Jorge Quijano, head of the authority, informed.
Panama Canal received 60 LNG tankers in the last quarter of 2017, a significant increased from the 43 tankers recorded in the same period last year. Most carriers come from the US for delivery to the Pacific coast of Mexico or South America, Reuters reported.
Cheniere, after signing an agreement to sell t Trafigura 1 million tonnes of LNG per year for 15 years, considers the possibility to build a second liquefaction at Corpus Christi and a fifth train at Sabine Pass in 2019.
After the US LNG exports decrease in September because of the Hurricane Harvey, they have recovered recently. Now Panama wants to be more flexible towards LNG transit bookings, in order to facilitate exporters to choose to sail through the Panama Canal.
