China's significant role in global maritime finance and shipping has led to a carve-out in certain regulations, demonstrating Beijing's economic leverage. An EU official detailed how Chinese financial arrangements and shareholding in vessel companies create a risk of asset loss for borrowers.
Abu Dhabi's National Oil Company (ADNOC) will invest $6.2 billion to develop the offshore Umm Shaif Gas Cap, aiming to expand natural gas production and LNG exports. This project, expected to begin production by 2030, is crucial for strengthening UAE's energy security and global market position amidst Middle East disruptions.
Papua New Guinea has closed Taiwan's economic office, a move swiftly welcomed by China as adherence to the one-China principle. Taiwan criticized the decision, stating it was not consulted and is reviewing bilateral economic ties, including LNG imports, while negotiating to keep its office open.
Experts and environmental groups criticize the UK's carbon capture and storage (CCS) plans, arguing they are costly, ineffective against methane emissions, and primarily support new fossil fuel infrastructure rather than hard-to-abate industries.
Oil prices jumped nearly 3% after the US launched military strikes against Iran in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Fears of escalating conflict threaten a critical oil transit route.
A third commercial tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz within 24 hours, escalating regional tensions. Qatar directly blamed Iran for an attack on its LNG vessel, calling it an "unacceptable" assault on maritime navigation. The incidents raise concerns over global energy security.
India is planning to build emergency liquefied natural gas (LNG) reserves by requiring terminal operators to expand storage capacity. This move aims to mitigate supply disruption risks, highlighted by the Iran conflict's impact on Strait of Hormuz shipments. The government is exploring cost recovery mechanisms for operators through higher regasification charges.
India and Japan are set to sign an agreement to enhance LNG supply security and strengthen economic ties during PM Modi and PM Takaichi's summit in India. Discussions will cover critical minerals, AI, semiconductors, and regional geopolitics, with Japan planning significant investments.
QatarEnergy has extended a force majeure notice, withholding four additional LNG cargoes for Italy's Adriatic LNG terminal until early September. This brings the total affected cargoes to 21, impacting approximately 2.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Qatar anticipates restoring normal LNG production within weeks as US-Iran peace negotiations show progress, aiming to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global gas market pressures.
Kirill Babayev, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, stated that unresolved tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran will continue to create uncertainty in global energy markets. He believes Russia can serve as a reliable energy supplier for ASEAN countries.
Shipowners will not resume transit through the Strait of Hormuz for weeks until a US-Iran deal is "material" and evident in real-world conditions, according to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines CEO Jotaro Tamura. The conflict, which began Feb 28 with US-Israeli strikes, had largely halted shipping through the vital route.
EU imports of Russian LNG rose 17.9% between Jan-May 2026 compared to 2025, with 96.7% of Yamal LNG exports going to EU ports. This occurs despite EU bans on short-term contracts and upcoming long-term contract bans, highlighting a missed opportunity to fully pressure Russia's war economy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorized Nordline LLC, a subsidiary of Novatek, to acquire a 10% stake in the Arctic LNG 2 project from France's TotalEnergies. The decree was posted on the legal information portal.
The EU's imports of Russian LNG surged 16% year-over-year in Q1, despite plans to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, due to the energy crisis exacerbated by the US-Israeli war on Iran and global LNG market disruptions.
Decades of complacency cannot be magicked away by drilling in the North Sea – or even by hoping that renewables will quickly power everythingEwan Gibbs is a historian of energy at the University of GlasgowFirst it was Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now it is the blockade of the world’s petroleum artery in the Gulf. For the second time in four years, Britain is facing an energy crisis that has been made much worse because of the absence of preparation by its political leaders.The fact is that our energy politics were conceived for a world where convulsive, global events were a thing of the past. The notion that it would be difficult to access supplies of oil or liquefied natural gas from the international markets did not figure in the understanding of the politicians and officials who shaped our perilous current moment. But even today, the advocates of energy sovereignty on the left and right appear to lack knowledge, understanding or power over this very foundational matter.Ewan Gibbs is a historian of energy, industry, work and protest at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialization in Postwar Scotland Continue reading...
Observers say pressure on IMO negotiations appears to be linked to countries that have invested heavily in gasAbout a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the strait of Hormuz, a strip of sea less than 30 miles wide at its narrowest point, before it was in effect closed by the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which sent the price of oil soaring and left an estimated 20,000 seafarers on 2,000 vessels stranded.Their plight has shone a spotlight on the complex and dirty relationship between shipping and the fossil fuel industry. The sector is one of the most polluting, with most ship engines fuelled by what has been called the dregs of the oil refining process, heavy and carbon-intensive diesel too filthy for any other purpose. Shipping produces about 3% of global greenhouse gases, a portion set to rise as trade globalises further. Continue reading...
Iran effectively closed the crucial waterway when the war broke out on 28 February. Normally one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits the waterway. Its closure has sent energy prices skyrocketing around the world.
China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) has delivered the nation's largest LNG carrier, the 180,000-cubic-metre Celsius Georgetown, marking a significant breakthrough in large-scale clean energy carrier construction. The 298.8-metre vessel is the first of six identical ships ordered by Danish firm Celsius Shipping, with the second due in three months. China Merchants Group chairman Miao Jianmin called it the group's formal entry into the 'core global camp' of large-scale LNG shipbuilders.
The surge in oil and gas prices caused by the Iran conflict has significantly narrowed the cost disparity between green and grey hydrogen, potentially accelerating the adoption of clean fuel across Asia.
Letter writer responds to Nils Pratley's column on North Sea gas, arguing that expansion cannot be justified when climate and nature risks are considered. Citing Uplift analysis showing 14 years of new licensing delivered only one month's gas demand, the author warns that further expansion poses systemic risks to food security, economic stability and national security.
World Vision officials report that Pacific Island communities dependent on boat transport are facing challenges bringing food supplies to outlying centres, with transport to clinics becoming financially unreachable for some. People are skipping medical appointments and missing life-saving HIV and tuberculosis medicines. Data shows Pacific Island nations are the most diesel-dependent for power generation worldwide, with diesel fuelling more than half of electricity output in 2022.
Chris Huhne responds to Nils Pratley's article on UK gas policy, arguing that biomethane represents a third overlooked option between expanding North Sea drilling and increasing LNG imports. He highlights that biomethane is domestic, low carbon, storable and dispatchable, citing the IEA's 2025 Renewables report and examples from Denmark (meeting 40% of gas demand from green gas) and France (20%+ annual growth since 2022). The letter argues the UK lacks political will to scale these alternatives.
