The ship owner gave everything clearly |

Enough ships for liquefied gas transportation

Field trip in the Baltic Sea: In Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck (53, Green) was shown on Monday where liquefied natural gas (LNG) should be received from future tankers.

OBJECTIVE: to ensure energy supply without Russian gas.

In the summer, experts still had serious doubts about Habeck’s LNG strategy, saying there was a shortage of vessels for it. Scientists complain about the slow expansion of the terminal.

Is Habeck’s next disaster looming here?

The German Shipowners Association makes it all clear. There is now “sufficient shipping space” to cover the transport of liquefied natural gas by sea, a spokesman said. And further: “In addition, the expansion of the global LNG tanker fleet is progressing. As of July, 255 new LNG tankers are on order for delivery over the next few years.”

However: Europe has only been able to import a lot of liquefied gas in recent months because “the willingness to pay is highest here,” says energy expert Malte Küper of the German Institute of Economics in Cologne. Asian countries like China or India will buy less because of high prices, “this amount can then come to us”.

Küper: “To cover the increasing demand for LNG in Asia and Europe in the long term, (…) greater export capacity is needed from producers such as the United States or Qatar.”

In general, scientists praised the speed of expansion of the LNG infrastructure and that “supply to the liquefied gas terminals at Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel has been secured until March 2024”.

However, Küper also warns: “Despite the great opportunities that LNG offers, we must not forget that the switch to more expensive liquefied gas will have an impact on Germany’s international competitiveness as a location.” He demanded: “Therefore we urgently need that too Turbo in green energy expansion.”